Forward Manuel Cass, guard Randy Culpepper and center Wayne Portalatin have signed national letters of intent to play basketball at UTEP beginning with the 2007-08 season, forming head coach Tony Barbee’s first recruiting class.
Cass and Culpepper are both regarded as national top-200 preps. Cass is rated the 36th-best small forward in the country by Rivals.com, and the 120th-best player overall. He is recognized as the 28th-best player at his position by Scout.com, and as one of the top 20 fifth-year players in the country by hoopscooponline.com. Culpepper is pegged as the no. 155 player in the nation by hoopscooponline.com.
The 6-7, 215-pound Cass is attending South Kent (Conn.) High School this season after playing at Carbondale (Ill.) High School for the last three years. While at Carbondale he was a part of a run to three straight state championships. He averaged 17 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks and two assists as a junior, earning All-State and All-Conference honors. Cass was chosen the preseason Southern Illinois Player of the Year and garnered a multitude of in-season honors, including Massac County MVP and All-State Tournament Team. Cass was also chosen MVP of the Marshall County Shootout (for the second straight year), received the Radar Award at the Urbana Thanksgiving Tournament, and was selected to the Carbondale Holiday All-Tournament Team.
He averaged 14 points and seven boards as a sophomore, when he was appointed All-State honorable mention and All-Conference. He missed half of his freshman season with a knee injury but still averaged 24 points per game.
“Manuel is a taller version of [current Los Angeles Clipper] Cuttino Mobley,” said Raphael Chillious, Cass’ coach at South Kent High School. “He is really athletic, he’s left-handed and he knocks down open threes, but the biggest thing about him is that he has a very mature game. He could score 25 or 30 points per game for us, but we don’t need that. He’s a winner, having been a part of three state championship teams at Carbondale High School.”
The 5-10, 150-pound Culpepper is listed as a high honorable mention prep All-American by Street & Smith’s College Basketball Yearbook entering his senior year at Sheffield High School in Memphis, Tenn. He was a second team All-State honoree as a junior, leading the city in scoring at 31.3 points per game. He also averaged 5.2 assists and 4.3 steals. Culpepper was tabbed first team All-District and was a “Best of the Preps” finalist as one of the top five players in Memphis. He was named MVP of the Carbondale (Ill.) Holiday Tournament for the second consecutive season, breaking the three-point shooting record in the event. He participated in the Adidas Hoop Star Camp and was selected to the District Tournament team.
His sophomore accolades included third team All-State, first team All-District, All-Region, All-City and All-Metro after averaging 24 points, 4.5 assists and three steals. He was selected MVP of the North Little Rock (Ark.) Tournament and was invited to play in the Nike Hoop Jamboree (for the second year in a row) and the Adidas Top 10 camp. Culpepper averaged 12.5 points, four assists and three steals as a freshman, when he was honorable mention All-State. He also earned All-District and All-Region honors, and was the only freshman named to the “Best of the Preps” list.
Culpepper has also played for the Memphis Celtics AAU team. He helped the Celtics win the 16-under national tournament in Atlanta, Ga., pouring in 52 points in the title game to earn MVP honors. He hit a record 14 three-pointers in an AAU Nationals 15-under Elite Eight game. Culpepper is the all-time leading scorer in the history of the Competitive Basketball League, as well as the only player to have his jersey retired by the league.
“Randy’s abilities fit into the style of play that coach Barbee has brought to UTEP,” said Sheffield High School coach Cheyenne Gibson. “He can score in a lot of ways and also run a basketball team. He is an exceptionally talented individual who can shoot the long ball and stretch the defense. He’s very active on the defensive end and loves to get up and down the floor. He is just an exciting player to watch.”
“I think Randy will be the best player in Conference USA by his sophomore year,” said Jermaine Johnson, Culpepper’s AAU coach. “He is probably the most exciting player that no one has heard of to come to UTEP since Tim Hardaway. He can shoot the cover off of the ball, jump out of the gym and dunk on people. I believe that UTEP has gotten a real steal.”
The 6-10, 250-pound Portalatin is playing this year at The Patterson School in Patterson, N.C. He previously played at Sacred Heart High School in Waterbury, Conn., and Maine Central Institute. He was a 2006 McDonald’s All-American nominee.
“The biggest thing that UTEP is getting is a freshman who is physically ready to compete at the Division I level,” said Ryan Freeburg, head coach at The Patterson School. “He’ll be able to step in and rebound with everybody in Conference USA. He will fit well into coach Barbee’s system, since we play an up and down style here at Patterson and press like they’re going to do at UTEP. We’ve got nine kids signing [Wednesday] and over 20 Division I kids from our program, and I would take Wayne ahead of anyone as far as his post play and rebounding are concerned.”
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