UA Basketball signs Phoenix guard Bejarano

University of Arizona men's basketball coach Sean Miller announced Wednesday that Daniel Bejarano has signed a National Letter-of-Intent to attend the school and play basketball. He will report to the school in the fall of 2010.


Bejarano, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound guard from Phoenix, Ariz., is ranked as the No. 40 overall prospect in the country by Bob Gibbons' All-Star Sports Top 250 and the No. 13 shooting guard by rivals.com to go with a scout grade of 95 by ESPN. Bejarano, who prepped at North High School, averaged 23.0 points and 10.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game as a junior in leading the Mustangs to the Class 5A Division II state championship for coach Joseph Bustos.

"First and foremost, I would describe Daniel as an amazing kid," said Miller. "He is as energetic, positive and unselfish as any young person I've come across. Although I'm confident he will have a huge impact for us on the court, I'm equally as confident that he will impact our university, the community and our family atmosphere even more."

Bejarano (pronounced Bay-har-ah-no) is a three-time Phoenix metro region player of the year and a 2009-10 first-team "Best in the West" selection by the Long Beach Press-Telegram. He was an All-Arizona pick by the Arizona Republic in 2009. Bejarano shot 53 percent from the field last season and tallied a season-high 41 points vs. Chandler High School. He also notched three consecutive 30-point games during the 2008-09 campaign in addition to being an all-adidas Super 64 Tournament selection in July as a member of the Arizona Stars.

"As a player, Daniel is an exceptional shooter and has great athletic talent," said Miller. "We are excited to add him to our Arizona Wildcat family."

Bejarano is the latest in a long line of Phoenix-area standouts to play at Arizona, including Mike Bibby (1996-98), Richard Jefferson (1998-2001), Channing Frye (2001-05) and Jerryd Bayless (2007-08).


Courtesy: University of Arizona Media Relations