FAU basketball's recruiting class grows when Sargent commits to Owls
By Chuck King
Miami Dade College center Julien Sargent has chosen to play his college basketball at Florida Atlantic.
“He is fully committed and will sign within the week,” said Matt Eisele, Sargent's coach at Miami-Dade.
Sargent, a 6-foot-10, 245-pound post player, is a defensive specialist who will add bulk to FAU's inside game. He averaged 5.2 points and 6.0 rebounds this past season, though coaches said that average was closer to a double-double during the final 10 games of the season.
Siena was among the multiple mid-major schools that recruited Sargent. Staying in Florida was a motivating factor for Sargent's choice of FAU. He played his high school basketball in Clearwater.
“I think he wanted to try to stay within the state,” Eisele said. “I think coach (Matt) McCall did a fantastic job recruiting, and (Sargent) was very impressed with the way they built the program.”
Sargent is the second player to commit to FAU for its 2011 recruiting class. On Wednesday Omari Grier, most recently of Maine Central Institute, pledged to take his talents to Boca Raton. Like Sargent, Grier expects to make it official by signing his Letter of Intent in the coming days.
Wednesday marked the first day of the NCAA's signing period for basketball.