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UNM men's basketball: Alford signs guard, tries for another
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The signing of one, maybe two high-profile guards could build a solid foundation for the Steve Alford era in New Mexico.
Indiana high school point guard Dairese Gary, a former Iowa commitment, has signed with Alford and the University of New Mexico, his mother, Dennise, said Tuesday evening.
Four-star recruit Darrington Hobson from Illinois said he will arrive in Albuquerque tonight for an official visit.
It seems the Lobos missed out on Phoenix-area recruit Ty Abbott after Ritchie McKay, who recruited Abbott, was fired in February. But Gary and Hobson are more heralded guards on the national scale.
Hobson, a 6-foot-7 guard, said Tuesday he has two more official visits to take - New Mexico and Kentucky. He's already visited UNLV. Billy Gillespie, the new coach at Kentucky who recruited Hobson at Texas A&M, will likely host Hobson in Lexington next week, Hobson said.
Rivals.com ranks Hobson, who has made a commitment to Pepperdine, as the 116th best player in the country.
The 6-1 Gary, a three-star recruit out of Elkhart, Ind., is the nation's 28th-best point guard, according to Scout.com.
"(Gary)'s already signed with New Mexico," Dennise said. "He just wanted to do whatever he could to play for coach Alford. I think it's a good fit."
Gary is the only one of three Iowa recruits from the 2007 class to follow Alford, the former Hawkeyes coach. Guard Jake Kelly and forward Jarryd Cole will remain with Iowa and new coach Todd Lickliter.
Kentucky makes for a tough recruiting battle for UNM, but Hobson's relationships with the New Mexico staff could give the Lobos the inside track.
New assistant coach Ryan Miller is "the main reason" why Hobson committed to Pepperdine, he said. Miller left Pepperdine two weeks ago to join Alford's staff. Miller and Hobson talk every day.
Iowa was in Hobson's top five when Alford was still there.
"I'm going to visit and see if this is the place I want to be for four years," Hobson said. "There's no favorite as of right now. I'm still officially committed to Pepperdine, but I'm taking a step back, looking everything through and making sure this is what I want to do."
Hobson said he thrives off a fast-breaking offense where "you score as much as possible and win as many games as possible." Hobson averaged 19 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists per game last season for Decatur (Ill.) Christian School.
"I'm a triple-double threat every time I get on the floor," Hobson said. "I can score any time I want, but I'm very unselfish. I like to pass the ball and get other people involved. I'm a winner. I know how to win games."
Alford has four scholarships to give the 2007 class. He's stressed the need for size, and will likely sign at least one big-bodied junior college player.
Johnnie Harris, a 6-8 power forward out of Chipola (Fla.) Junior College, reportedly made an official visit to UNM last weekend.
