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Buffalo lands ‘top five steal’ in Class of ’14 in Lamonte Bearden

Bobby Hurley

COMMERCIAL IMAGE - In this photograph taken by AP Images for LG Electronics, University of Rhode Island assistant coach and former Duke University all-star Bobby Hurley greets fans at the LG House during the NCAA Final Four weekend at Bracket Town at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans on Sunday, April 1, 2012. Former NCAA players and current coaches Bobby Hurley and Travis Ford competed in the LG Home Court Challenge, reheating the Duke vs. Kentucky rivalry from 20 years ago. (Cheryl Gerber/AP Images for LG Electronics) (Cheryl Gerber/AP Images for LG Electronics)

AP IMAGES FOR LG ELECTRONICS

Bobby Hurley’s career as a head coach in the MAC will get off to a good start given that Javon McCrea, one of the nation’s most underrated players, will anchor the roster in his first year.

But to continue to build the program in a conference that includes perennial title contenders Akron and Ohio, Hurley will need to start luring in some talent of his own. On Tuesday evening, he did just that, as Lamonte Bearden committed to spend his collegiate career as a Bull.

Bearden is a 6-foot-1 Wisconsin native and a speedster at the point with the ability to see the floor and finish around the rim. He’s got a boatload of talent and ability, enough so that he ranks as a four-star recruit by Scout and was considered by most recruiting pundits to be a high-major caliber player. Rivals’ Eric Bossi called Bearden “one of the top five steals of 2014 recruiting class”.

And now consider this: Bearden is heading to a school where his talent will be cultivated by one of the best collegiate point guards we have ever seen in Hurley.

So how did Bearden end up at Buffalo? Academic concerns, according to Jeff Eisenberg. Some bigger schools appear to have been scared off by the fact that Bearden may not get eligible.

Only time will tell, but for now, the future looks bright for both Bearden and Buffalo.

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