Press release from UC sports communications:
CINCINNATI -- Head coach Mick Cronin has announced the signing of three talented prospects – Quadri Moore (pronounced QUAD-dree), Gary Clark and Coreontae DeBerry (pronounced COREY-on-tay) – who have signed national letters of intent to attend the University of Cincinnati and play basketball for the Bearcats beginning with the 2014-15 season.
“Our biggest needs in this recruiting class were front court players,” Cronin said. “We’re pleased that we got three quality kids who all come from winning programs and understand what it takes to win.”
Moore, a 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward from Linden, N.J., averaged 14.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks while making 19 three-pointers as a junior at Linden High School. Tabbed a four-star prospect by multiple recruiting websites, Moore is listed No. 28 among the top forwards in the nation by ESPN and ranked No. 103 overall nationally by Rivals.com.
“We’re really excited about Quadri becoming a Bearcat,” Cronin said. “He comes from a winning program at Linden High School and plays for a winning coach in Phil Colicchio. Quadri brings a unique offensive skill set for a guy with his size and strength. He can step away from the basket and shoot the three-point shot. Then go back inside and score around the rim. His body is college ready with a frame that some football coaches would covet. Our staff identified him early on as a prospect that can become a really good college player with development.”
Clark, a 6-foot-7, 215-pound forward from Clayton, N.C., averaged 24.0 points, 14.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks while leading Clayton High School to the 4A Eastern Regional semifinals as a junior. He averaged nearly 32 points in the playoffs while earning Associate Press All-State accolades and Greater Neuse River 4A Conference Player of the Year honors. Clark is listed as a four-star prospect and one of the Top 80 players in the nation by ESPN while Rivals.com and 247Sports.com list him among the Top 150.
“With the loss of Justin Jackson and Titus Rubles after this season, we’re very excited about being able to sign Gary Clark who is a combination of those two guys,” Cronin said. “He has the ability to face up and hit the jump shot, take his man off the dribble as well as score in the low post. He is also a tremendous shot blocker for his size, similar to Justin Jackson. He is a prototypical Cincinnati forward in that he is versatile, has great toughness and competes on every play.
“Gary plays for an outstanding coach in Denny Medlin who is a proven winner with a track record for developing players,” Cronin said. “That’s only going to help Gary transition quickly to the college game.”
DeBerry, a 6-foot-10, 270-pound center from Holland, Mich., averaged 9.2 points and 4.4 rebounds in 12.7 minutes during the 2012-13 season at Mott College in Flint, Mich. He is playing the 2013-14 campaign at junior-college power Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kan. He averaged 16.1 points as a senior at Holland High School during 2011-12. DeBerry will have two seasons of eligibility at Cincinnati.
“Coreontae gives us a quality low post scorer who has two years of experience at the college level,” Cronin said. “He has tremendous size at 6-10, 270 pounds and runs the floor exceptionally well for a player his size. His experience and ability to score in the low post will help ease the loss of Justin Jackson and David Nyarsuk. He is undoubtedly one of the best junior college centers in the country.
“He currently plays for one of the top-ranked junior college coaches and programs in the nation in Steve Eck at Hutchinson Community College and will be a key element in their national title chase.”
