NEW YORK — On Wednesday at the Jordan Brand practice, Stephen Zimmerman said he was nearing the end of the recruiting process and was ready for it to be over.
“Whenever I find out, I might just Tweet it and go to sleep,” he told SNY.tv on then.
On the eve of Friday’s Jordan Brand Classic, the 7-footer from Las Vegas (NV) Bishop Gorman did just that.
Thx 2 all the programs & fans that supported me. This is MY decision & I’ve decided 2 stay home & attend #UNLV #LetsRun #Vegas
— Stephen Zimmerman Jr (@BIGG_ZIMM) April 17, 2015
He also considered Kentucky, Kansas, UCLA and Arizona.
“That’s always a plus, the hometown school thing,” he said Wednesday of UNLV. “I’ve played against a lot of the people that are there so I know them personally and stuff so that would be really cool.”
Zimmerman, who averaged 14.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.4 blocks last season for a 27-6 Bishop Gorman team, is ranked the No. 3 center in the nation and the No. 9 overall player by 247Sports.com. ESPN.com ranked him the No. 4 center and No. 10 overall player.
Zimmerman had several connections to UNLV, aside from it being the local school.
Gorman is coached by Grant Rice, the younger brother of UNLV head coach Dave Rice. Dave Rice appeared in danger of losing his job after the season ended but after meeting with school AD Tina Kunzer-Murphy, he was allowed to continue coaching into his fifth year with the expectation that he get the Rebels back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013.
Lori Stevens, Zimmerman’s mother, also attended UNLV with Dave Rice. In November, Rice told the family Zimmerman could be a hometown hero if he chose UNLV.
“I know one that thing that over dinner at Coach Rice’s house on Saturday, we all were sitting around and they asked how it compared to other visits,” she said then. “It was hard to say because it was so different because Dave and I went to school together. We were both members of the Class of ’91 at UNLV. Ryan and I have know each other for years. Todd Simon I’ve known from Findlay [Prep]. So it’s more like hanging out with your buddies all weekend than how it felt at other visits. It was fun, Stephen had a great time.”
UNLV is losing freshman shooting guard Rashad Vaughn to the NBA and sophomore forward Christian Wood could do the same.
The Rebels already signed 6-4 Canadian point guard Jalen Poyser and 6-6 Pennsylvania wing Derrick Jones, who was excited about Zimmerman’s announcement.
Congrats to the newest UNLV commit @BIGG_ZIMM we gonna cook next year ????????????????
— Derrick Jones (@_DerrickJ24_) April 17, 2015
UNLV also adds Oregon transfer Ben Carter and Rutgers transfer Jerome Seagears, both of whom sat out last season.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal also reported that point guard Nigel Williams-Goss, a Washington transfer who also played at Findlay Prep, will visit this weekend and that 6-7 Findlay Prep forward Justin Jackson could reclassify from 2016 to 2015 and join the team next season.
