Another top hoops recruit signs with UM

By Adam Douglas

Sports Editor

 

Right before their upcoming trip to the Maui Invitational, The University of Memphis Tigers basketball team got some great news.

As expected, class of 2012 Southwest Dekalb High senior forward Shaq Goodwin officially signed his letter of intent to play for the Tigers on Wednesday. The announcement comes 8 days after he verbally committed to the Tigers last Tuesday.

Goodwin, a 6-foot-8, 245-pound five-star prospect from Decatur, Ga., had also considered Arizona, Florida, Georgia and UCLA. He is the second commitment for Memphis during the early-signing period, joining his former Atlanta Celtics AAU teammate and Oak Hill Academy senior wing Damien Wilson (Va.). Wilson, a 6-foot-6, 190-pound wing from Mouth of Wilson, Va., signed with the Tigers last Wednesday.

Goodwin's mother told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution this week that her son was going to wait until the end of the season to sign, adding that he would take "a couple" more official visits.

"I just think through the process, everything just got on the same page," said head coach Josh Pastner in a press release. "It's a big decision, you know? That's why the letter of intent allows you to have a week. It gives you time. In the end, this is where Shaq and his mother wanted him to be, and that's Memphis."