UPDATE: Cameron Forte Joins Georgia Basketball Recruiting Class
Mar 7, 2013; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs guard Kenny Gaines (12) and Kentucky Wildcats guard Jarrod Polson (5). Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Coach Mark Fox and his Georgia basketball coaching staff put a cherry on top of this recruiting season’s spring signing period with the addition of 6’7” forward Cameron Forte of Tempe, Arizona.
“We are very excited to add someone of Cameron’s abilities to our program this spring,” Fox said. “He’s a versatile player who has a real knack for scoring the basketball. Those two things — his versatility and his scoring — should really help our team next season.”
Forte averaged a team-high 22.5 points this season for Howard, which went 30-7 and reached the quarterfinals of the NJCAA tournament in Hutchinson, Kan. That average ranked fourth nationally among all Division I junior college players. Forte also averaged 7.5 rebounds and shot 63 percent from the field during his only season with the Hawks. Before the season Forte was ranked as the No. 33 junior college prospect in the country, by Jucorecruiting.com. After the season he was named to the NJCAA All-Region V team.
As a senior at McClintock High School in Tempe, Arizona Forte averaged 36 points a game his senior year.
Forte originally committed to Billy Gillespie’s Texas Tech program in July 2011, but did not play and transferred to the Big Springs, Texas campus of Howard College, a junior college. There have been conflicting reports regarding Forte’s eligibility; Forte has three years of eligibility remaining.
Colorado State and Minnesota both heavily pursued the scoring machine from Tempe, but Forte decided a warmer climate would suit him best and called Coach Mark Fox today with the good news.
McClintock High head basketball coach Jase Coburn called Forte one the best scorers the state has ever seen. Along with his point plus per minute average his senior year, Forte set state records of most points in a game and season. In only 7 of his teams 20 games did Forte not score over half of his teams points. The McClintock High School Chargers were 30 – 13 Forte’s senior year and won the AAAA Arizona State Championship his junior year when Forte averaged 22 points a game. Forte had led the Arizona Magic Pump N’ Run AAU basketball team to an impressive 29-straight victories.
Georgia Bulldogs forward Nemanja Djurisic (42) will get help next year fro Cameron forte. Kelly Lambert-USA TODAY Sports
Both of Forte’s parents played basketball collegiately. His father Larry played at New Mexico, and his mother Libby played at Arizona State.
Forte will join JJ Frazier of Glennville, Georgia, Kenny Paul Geno of Booneville, Mississippi, and Juwan Parker of Tulsa, Oklahoma in the University of Georgia 2012 -2013 signing class.
The day ended with a touch of irony as Coach Fox confirmed that Georgia assistant coach Kwanza Johnson has agreed to accept an assistant coaching position at Texas Christian. Johnson had coached Juwan Parker’s older brother as part of the Tulsa University staff and has a strong relationship with Juwan Parker and his family. Parker will nevertheless join the Bulldogs this year.