RE: Basketball signing day news
Miami signed 3 incoming freshmen:
OXFORD, Ohio—Miami University men’s basketball head coach John Cooper announced the signing of three to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday afternoon. Joining the RedHawks as freshmen for 2016-17 are forward Marcus Weathers, guard Michael Weathers and forward/center Bruno Solomun. Twin brothers Michael and Marcus Weathers—from Roeland Park, Kansas—propelled Shawnee Mission North to the school’s first state title since 1953 (when it was just Shawnee Mission), capturing the 6A State Championships in 2015-16 (the largest classification in the state of Kansas). In the state title game, the Weathers brothers combined for 46 points and 16 rebounds as the team defeated Wichita Southeastern, 80-56. The duo helped the team to a 21-4 record on the season.
Marcus Weathers is a 6-foot-5, 195-pound forward who was a four-year starter for Shawnee Mission North. He finished as the program’s second all-time leading scorer with 1,150 points and also its second all-time leading rebounder with 425 boards. As a senior in 2015-16, Marcus captured second-team all-state honors. He also was a First-Team All-Sunflower League selection, averaging 18.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg and 2.3 bpg in 2015-16.
Michael Weathers is a 6-foot-3, 165-pound point guard who was a four-year starter for Shawnee Mission North. Michael was a two-time all-state selection, earning first-team distinction as a senior in 2015-16. He finished as the program’s all-time leader in scoring (1,626) and steals (189). He averaged 17.7 ppg and shot an impressive 52.2 percent from the field for his career. As a senior, he was tabbed Sunflower League Player of the Year and also earned First-Team All-Sunflower League honors. He averaged 20.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg and 3.4 apg in 2015-16.
“Marcus and Michael are two young men who are from my hometown area, so I’m very familiar with them,” said Cooper. “They won a state championship in the largest classification class in Kansas. It’s always nice to get players coming into your program who have won basketball games and know what winning takes.
“When you look at them, Michael is a backcourt player who plays the one and can play the two position,” Cooper continued. “He has athleticism and good size for the position. He’s quick with the ability to attack the rim. Marcus is extremely athletic with a good vertical jump to get off the floor and can also defend multiple positions. Both are good defenders, and I think we will become more athletic when they are on the court.
“I think one of the things about them that we’ve enjoyed is that they bring life to the room when they walk in,” Cooper added. “Their personalities are engaging and can permeate a room, which I think is a very good thing. They want to win, that’s what they are about. We’re excited to have them join our program and look forward to having them on board.”
Bruno Solomun is a 6-foot-9, 218-pound forward/center originally from Zagreb, Croatia, who prepped at Forsyth Country Day School in Lewisville, North Carolina. Solomun earned All-North Western Private School honors as a senior after averaging 18.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 5.0 apg, 1.0 spg and 1.0 bpk. Following his senior campaign, he was selected to the Triad All-Star and NCISAA All-Star teams. Solomun also played in Euroleague tournaments in Rome and Belgrade in 2014 and 2015.
“We’re really excited that Bruno Solomun will be joining our class,” said Cooper. “We’re getting another player from the North Carolina area, joining (rising junior forward) Logan McLane. This is a kid who, I think, will help us stretch the floor, is going to bring some size and some length to the forward position and who has played a lot of basketball. He needs to continue to get physically stronger, but I think once he gets here and gets acclimated to the surroundings and with the way we want to play and like to play, he’ll certainly be a great benefit to our roster. He has a pretty good offensive skill set and is another young man who can shoot the ball from the perimeter.”
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