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Houston Men's Basketball Adds to Nationally Ranked Signing Class
April 11, 2012
UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON MEN'S BASKETBALL SIGNEES Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl.-Exp. Hometown-High School Danuel House F 6-7 195 Fr.-HS Sugar Land, Texas-Hightower Valentine Izundu C 6-10 215 Fr.-HS Houston, Texas-Lamar Consolidated Danrad Knowles F 6-10 190 Fr.-HS Houston, Texas-HCYA HOUSTON - Lamar Consolidated High center Valentine Izundu became the latest member of the University of Houston' nationally ranked men's basketball signing class when he signed a National Letter of Intent with the Cougars on Wednesday. Izundu, whose last name is pronounced Iz-Oon-Doo, will join the program as a 6-foot-10, 215-pound freshmen for the 2012-13 season. He will have four years of eligibility remaining and picked the Cougars over Baylor, Missouri, Arkansas, SMU and Tulsa. "We are excited about Valentine joining our program. He is a terrific, young prospect, a true center with size and length," head coach James Dickey said. "Valentine is a talented shot blocker, defender and rebounder, who can run the floor and has a tremendous upside. We are thrilled about Valentine becoming a Cougar." As a senior for head coach Luke Lucky in 2011-12, Izundu helped lead the Mustangs to a 27-9 overall record and 13-1 mark in league play. Despite playing organized basketball for only three years, he has established himself as a defensive presence and blocked eight shots in a 79-59 win against Fort Bend Dulles High in November 2011. At 6-10, Izundu will stand as the tallest member of the current 2012-13 Cougar team before he even plays a game. Izundu joins forwards Danuel House (6-7, 195, Hightower HS) and Danrad "Chicken" Knowles (6-10, 190, Homeschool Christian Youth Association) as the newest members of the Cougar program. AMONG THE BEST Prior to Izundu's signing, the Cougars' signing class was rated in the nation's top 20 by three media organizations. Houston stands at No. 14 by Rivals.com, at No. 18 by ESPN and at No. 20 by Scout.com. Both House (No. 15) and Knowles (No. 56) are ranked among the ESPNU 100. With their signing, the Cougars now have four student-athletes from that national list, joining freshman forward TaShawn Thomas (No. 92 in 2011) and redshirt freshman guard Joseph Young (No. 98 in 2010). VALENTINE IZUNDU C • 6-10 • 215 • Freshman-HS Lamar Consolidated HS Houston, Texas ABOUT VALENTINE IZUNDU HIGH SCHOOL PERSONAL STORY LINKS • ESPN Bio • Rivals.com Bio • Houston Preps Bio • 6-10 Center Commits to Houston VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
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