Burney pledges to Miami

And the commitments just keep on coming. While on a visit to the University of Miami, Jerome Burney verbally committed to the University of Miami. The 6-foot-9, 209-pound power forward Atlanta's Westlake High School is the third player to commit to the Hurricanes, and 2004 Rivals.com Recruiter of the Year Frank Haith, in as many weeks.

Burney, a three-star prospect by Rivals.com, is on an unofficial visit to the ACC program and according to Norman Parker, his AAU coach with the Georgia Stars, the long and lean big man was ready to pull the trigger right away.

"Couldn't even wait through one day of his visit down there before committing to them," Parker said. "Miami is absolutely thrilled about him. They've been really coming hard after him since the beginning."

The Hurricanes have been on fire over the last month in the class of 2006, getting verbal commitments from James Dews, a shooting guard from Ohio, and Dwayne Collins, a bouncy forward from South Florida. Parker said assistant coach Mike Hunt played a big part in Burney's decision.

Burney also had interest from Alabama, Georgia Tech and Notre Dame.

"He loved the campus, loved the coaching staff and loved the situation down there," Parker said. "Everyone is really happy for him. I spoke to his high school coach Darren Rogers and he's excited for him. Jerome was really excited when he called me."

The Hurricanes are getting an incredibly athletic big man who is still yet to tap into his full potential. Burney is solid on the blocks and can score with both hands around the basket. With his incredibly long arms, Burney has really excelled as a shot-blocker. Still in need of more weight and muscle, he's far from a finished product. That said, Burney may be the best senior big man in an always-loaded Georgia talent pool.