Versatile Swiss guard Kyshawn George (Class of ’23) signs with University of Miami
The University of Miami men’s basketball team added a second international player to its 2023 recruiting class.
Kyshawn George, a 6-6 guard/small forward from Switzerland, signed with the Hurricanes early this week, the school announced on Thursday.
George averaged 17.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.4 steals with the U21 team of French Espoirs B league team Elan Chalon this season. The 19-year-old recently moved up to the first team, where he averaged 2.9 points in 16 games. Despite playing for a pro club, he maintained his amateur status and is eligible to play in college.
He drew interest from Illinois, LSU, Pittsburgh, SMU, Texas and Xavier.
“We are delighted to welcome Kyshawn to the Miami basketball program,” said UM coach Jim Larranaga. “In addition to being a tremendous player with significant upside, he is an excellent young man who comes from a great family. Kyshawn is a versatile guard who can play multiple positions and is a terrific shooter with unlimited range. A cerebral player, he is a true student of the game and has a strong basketball IQ. Kyshawn has competed at a high level in France, both with and against older players, which will help him adjust to the physicality of college basketball.”
He had a growth spurt the past two years, stretching nearly 10 inches from 5-8 to 6-6 and added 66 pounds to his frame. He is the son of former Saint Francis (PA) forward Deon George, a Canadian native who went on to play professionally in Switzerland.
George has represented Switzerland on the international level in August 2019 at the FIBA U16 European Championship Division B in Podgorica, Montenegro. He played in six games during the prestigious tournament. Domestically, George helped lead his team to a 2016 Swiss championship at the U16 level while just 13 years old.
George is one of two players committed to the Hurricanes from the 2023 class, joining Michael Nwoko, a 6-10 and 240-pound Canadian forward/center who attends Prolific Prep in Napa, California. Nwoko is a three-star recruit and has been a standout on the AAU circuit.
Nwoko made headlines at the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Oregon, last week. He scored nine of the final 10 points for the World team and finished with 17 points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes in a 90-84 loss to Team USA.
Larranaga has high hopes for Nwoko.
“I never think we can know for sure what kind of contribution a young man can make as a freshman, but I will say this: Michael Nwoko is 6-10, 240 lbs. He’s very physically mature. And he’s competed at a high level,” Larranaga said. “At the Nike Hoop Summit last week, he went 7 of 10 from the field. Those are indications that he might be ready to contribute mightily as a freshman. But you don’t know until they get on the court with your players.”
The Hurricanes, coming off their first Final Four in school history, have gotten a lot of interest from the transfer portal over the past few weeks and are expected to sign at least two players. Among the prospects in serious conversations are Matthew Cleveland (FSU), Cormac Ryan (Notre Dame), Robbie Beran (Northwestern) and Mustapha Amzil (Dayton), according to team sources. Cleveland and Ryan visited this week. Also, Maryland transfer Hakim Hart has UM in his top four, along with Kansas, Villanova, Gonzaga, per Jon Rothstein of CBS.
