Deng Gak to Miami

Deng Gak , the 6-foot-10 big man from Blair (N.J.) Academy and the PSA Cardinals, committed to Miami on Tuesday.

Ranked the No. 12 center in the Class of 2017 by 247Sports.com, he visited Kansas and Florida last week, but chose Miami after visiting them in September.

“I just built a great relationship with Coach L [Jim Larranaga] and it was the school that I really saw myself best fitting in,” Gak said.

Gak joins point guard Chris Lykes and power forward Sam Waardenburg in Miami’s 2017 class.

“Deng has as much ceiling as anyone I have coached at Blair due to his length, his skill, and most importantly, his basketball IQ,” Blair coach Joe Mantegna said.

Gak is the second Blair player to commit this fall, joining point guard Matt Turner, who picked Santa Clara. Center Zach Kent and wing Anthony Mack remain uncommitted.

Written by Adam Zagoria

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Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle. A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.