Nov. 16, 2007

University of New Mexico men's basketball head coach Steve Alford announced the signing of five highly touted student-athletes to National Letters of Intent to attend UNM in the fall of 2008. This recruiting class, put together by Alford and his staff, has been rated as high as No. 9 in the nation by ESPN.com.

"This is a very exciting class," stated Alford. "I appreciate the work the staff has put in to it. To get five kids from Texas, which is a very important state for us to recruit, is an excellent accomplishment for our program. The caliber of both the student and the player we are getting keeps Lobo basketball moving in a positive direction. I couldn't be more excited about this recruiting class."

Making up the 2008 class of recruits are: Will Brown, a 6-9 forward from Dallas, Texas (Patterson (N.C.) Prep); Curtis Dennis, a 6-4 guard/forward, from Bronx, N.Y. (Findlay (Las Vegas, Nev.) Prep); Nate Garth, a 6-3 point guard from Dallas, Texas (Hamilton (Tenn.) HS); Phillip McDonald, a 6-5 shooting guard from Cypress, Texas (Cypress HS); and Isaiah Rusher, a 6-10 forward from Houston, Texas (Genesis One (Mendenhall, Miss.) Prep).

All five of the Lobo signees have ties to the state of Texas, a major recruiting target for the Lobo men's basketball staff. Brown, Dennis, McDonald and Rusher all played for the Houston area T-MAC All-Stars AAU Team. Nate Garth is a Texas native and played his junior season for Dallas's Woodrow Wilson High School.

Will Brown - F - 6-9 - 225 - Dallas, Texas (Patterson (N.C.) Prep)
Rated a three-star recruit by Rivals.com and Scout.com...strong power forward who is an excellent rebounder...named the top power forward signee in the Mountain West Conference by Rivals.com...currently attending the Patterson Prep School in Lenoir, N.C...Patterson School enters the season as the second ranked prep school in the nation according to Scout.com...ranked in the top-10 by TexasHoops.com before transferring to Patterson...PERSONAL...full name is William Ben Brown...born October, 3, 1989.

Coach Alford on Will Brown - "Will gives us a presence inside because he has very good strength. He will come in as a freshman with the ability to impact the team immediately. He's got a great body, but he is also a big man that can play inside out. "

Curtis Dennis - G/F - 6-5 - 195 - Bronx, N.Y. (Findlay College (Las Vegas, Nev.) Prep)
Rated a three-star recruit by Scout.com...averaged 24.5 ppg at Blessed Sacrament-St. Gabriel HS in New York last season...playing this season at Findlay College Prep in Las Vegas, Nev...Findlay College Prep enters the season as the No. 7 prep school in the nation according to Scout.com...athletic combination guard/forward...Ranks as the 13th best prep school player in the country by Scout.com...PERSONAL...full name is Curtis Lamont Dennis...born January 15, 1988.

Coach Alford on Curtis Dennis - "Curtis will continue the trend of big guards that we have at New Mexico. He's someone that can really shoot the ball and he understands the game. His ability to score will really help us."

Nate Garth - G - 6-3 - 180 - Dallas, Texas (Hamilton (Memphis, Tenn) HS)
Standout point guard for Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas, Texas....Averaged 15.1 ppg and 8.4 assists per game as a junior...ranked No. 16 on TexasHoops.com's list of 2008 graduates...three-star recruit by Rivals.com...will play his senior year at Hamilton High School in Memphis, Tenn...named the top point guard signee in the Mountain West Conference by Rivals.com...PERSONAL...full name is Nathen Garth...born October 22, 1989.

Coach Alford on Nate Garth - "He's a point guard, and with losing Jamal (Smith to graduation) we are going to need a point guard. We are fortunate to get somebody that understands how to play the game at that position the way Nate understands the game."

Phillip McDonald - G - 6-5 - 190 - Cypress, Texas (Cypress Springs HS)
Sharpshooting guard who is rated as one of the top players in the state of Texas...four-star recruit and listed among the top-100 players in the country by Rivals.com and Scout.com ...named the top shooting guard signee in the Mountain West Conference by Rivals.com...rated in the top-10 in Texas by TexasHoops.com...PERSONAL...Full name is Phillip Michael McDonald...born July 25, 1989.

Coach Alford on Phillip McDonald - "Phillip is one of those guys that has the unique ability to really shoot the basketball. Watching kids this summer, he's as good a shooter as I saw all summer long. He also has great athletic ability to go with his excellent shooting touch."

Isaiah Rusher - F - 6-9 - 235 - Houston, Texas (Genesis One (Miss.) Prep)
Rated a three-start recruit by Rivals.com and Scout .com...very physical player who can score inside...averaged 12 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks per game at Kashmere High School in Houston last season...will play this season at Genesis One Christian school in Mendenhall, Miss...rated as a top-10 player by TexasHoops.com before transferring to Genesis One...PERSONAL...Full name is Isaiah Nathaniel Rusher...born April 14, 1988.

Coach Alford on Isaiah Rusher - "Isaiah is a lot like Reggie Evans, who I coached at Iowa. He is just a warrior. He is one that will immediately demand respect and get a lot of attention inside because of the way he goes about playing. He's extremely athletic and will add to our size up front."