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Junior college guard Rasham Suarez to honor commitment to Southern Miss

Southern Mississippi Sadler Basketball

Doc Sadler, the new head NCAA college basketball coach for Southern Mississippi, introduces himself during a news conference Thursday, May 1, 2014, in Hattiesburg, Miss. (AP Photo/The Hattiesburg American, Eric J. Shelton) NO SALES

AP

With the college coaching market being what it is today, with coaches making moves during the spring, recruits can find themselves faced with the question of where they’ll play their college basketball. While some may argue that when a National Letter of Intent is signed the player is committing to the school, the fact of the matter is that in many cases the player’s relationship with the coaching staff is the biggest reason why they’ve committed.

This was a dilemma point guard Rasham Suarez, who played at the College of Central Florida, was faced with when Donnie Tyndall made the move from Southern Miss to Tennessee. Would Suarez honor his commitment, thus deciding to play for new head coach Doc Sadler? Or would be look to move elsewhere with Tyndall no longer in Hattiesburg.

Saturday it was reported by Patrick McGee of the Biloxi (Miss.) Sun Herald that Suarez will be a Golden Eagle, and the decision is an important one for Sadler as he looks to build on the success experienced by Tyndall (and Larry Eustachy before him).

With guards Neil Watson and Jerrold Brooks out of eligibility Southern Miss will have to account for the loss of 20.4 points and 6.6 assists per game on the perimeter, with forwards Michael Craig and Daveon Boardingham out of eligibility as well. But with those perimeter losses, most especially the starting point guard in Watson, the addition of Suarez is an important one for Southern Miss.

Suarez averaged 14.9 points and 5.0 assists per game as a sophomore, and he finished the season with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.8. According to the Sun Herald Butler, Middle Tennessee and North Texas were considered by Suarez after he reopened his recruitment.

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