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Moments after signing his national letter of intent to join the New Mexico men’s basketball team, Xavier Adams said he sent head coach Craig Neal a simple text message.
“It’s done, Coach.”
Adams and power forward Joe Furstinger followed through on their verbal commitments Tuesday and signed their letters to join the team for the 2014-15 season. Tuesday marked the first day of the NCAA’s early signing period.
The addition of Adams and Furstinger complete UNM’s recruitment process for the upcoming season, and Neal said both players will have a “major chance to play as freshmen.”
The two high school seniors become the fourth and fifth recruits to sign with UNM under Neal, who has his second game as head coach at 4 p.m. Sunday against Charleston Southern.
He landed junior college transfers Arthur Edwards and Deshawn Delaney along with Neal’s son Cullen, who had previously signed with Saint Mary’s prior to Craig Neal’s hiring. All three players saw action in the Nov. 9 season opener.
Adams previously played at Alvarado High, where he averaged a double-double (25.7 points, 13.6 rebounds per game) as a junior, shooting 46 percent from the field and draining 33 treys. The 6-foot-5 guard will play his senior season at Marcus High School.
Putting up 24 double-doubles in 28 games, he received a district MVP award and made first-team all-district. The website texashoops.rivals.com lists Adams at No. 8 among highest rated recruits in Texas.
“He’s one of those kids who was a bit under the radar,” Neal said. “He went from an unknown to like No. 8 in the state of Texas, but he’s really talented. He’s had some big scoring nights in high school and he’s going to continue to get better and better.”
After his text to Craig Neal, Adams said the coach responded by thanking him for picking UNM and believing in him. Adams said he responded by texting “Thanks for believing in me. I won’t let you down.”
Adams committed to UNM a year ago, and he said the decision to maintain that commitment did not change following Steve Alford’s departure to UCLA.
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“They (Craig Neal and associate head coach Lamont Smith) would still call me and text me and tell me they still want me to go,” Adams said. “I was like, ‘Don’t worry. I’ll still be coming.’”
Playing at Santa Margarita Catholic High for former Lobo Jeff Reinert, the 6-8 Furstinger scored 16.6 points and pulled down 10.7 boards per game a year ago, connecting on 54 percent of his field goal attempts. He dropped double-digit points in 28 games and posted 21 double-doubles.
“Joe’s got big upside, has got a high ceiling,” Craig Neal said. “He can really shoot the ball. He’s really improved his 3-point shooting, and I think he’s going to develop and be a really, really good player.”
According to ESPN.com and other reports, the Lobos already have verbal commitments for the 2015 recruiting class in Jordan Hunter, a 5-8 point guard from Beaumont, Texas, and 6-5 Dane Kuiper, a small forward from Tempe, Ariz.
Verbal commitments are not binding until athletes sign National Letters of Intent, and NCAA rules prevent universities and coaches from discussing recruits until then.
