Hurricanes beat three teams for signature of talented cager

MiaMi: New Zealand teen forward Sam Waardenburg signed with the University of Miami, the school announced on its website, giving the Hurricanes three players from the South Pacific.

Miami coach Jim Larranaga, who has guided the Hurricanes into the “Sweet 16” of the US national college basketball championship twice in the past four seasons, said the 17-year-old playmaker will join the team immediately but is only expected to begin competition in the 2017-18 campaign.

“Sam is a very skilled player with a high basketball IQ,” Larranaga said.

“He has the ability to play both inside and outside. He has great international experience and has competed against some of the best high school players from around the world.

“We’re excited about him joining us midyear so he can make the adjustments to the American college game before competing next season.”

The Hurricanes also have Australians D.J. Vasiljevic and incoming freshman Deng Gak from the Trans-Tasman region.

In October, Waardenburg was tournament Most Valuable Player in sparking Auckland’s Rangitoto College to the SAS Secondary Schools National Championship title, scoring 18 points, pulling down eight rebounds and blocking four shots in the final.

The Junior Tall Blacks standout displayed his skills in the past off-season during a scouting event in Los Angeles, averaging 13.4 points and 6.4 rebounds over five games to be named one of the camp’s top 10 players.

Waardenbrug – who was also courted by Utah, Virginia and South Methodist – was also named the most outstanding player at both the All Asia Camp in Beijing and the Basketball Without Borders camp in Australia.

Last season, the Hurricanes matched their deepest run ever in the US tournament before losing 92-69 to eventual US champion Villanova.