Waithe makes the call
Arkansas has picked up its third commitment for the Class of 2010 with Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College forward Marvell Waithe picking the Razorbacks on Thursday.
, 6-9, 216, chose Arkansas over Rutgers after narrowing his choices down to those two schools. He was originally supposed to announce on Wednesday, but delayed his decision for 24 hours.
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"I'm a Hog," Waithe said. "I can go in right away and be the player I know I can be. I can play in the SEC. I felt the most comfortable on my visit to Arkansas."
Waithe averaged 18.9 points and 9 rebounds as a freshman. He shot 53 percent from the field, 39 percent from behind the 3-point circle and 76 percent on his free throws.
"Arkansas wants me to be a combo forward," Waithe said. "I will play the 3 and 4. My strengths are my shooting and the fact I'm very versatile. I feel comfortable both inside and outside, but I play mostly on the outside. However, I can go down low on the block when I need to."
In addition to the Razorbacks and Rutgers, Waithe also considered Alabama, UConn, Florida State, LSU, USF and Minnesota. Waithe visited Arkansas and got to meet the coaches and players and Arkansas Coach John Pelphrey and assistant Tom Ostrom both made very good impressions on him.
"The coaches are really cool," Waithe said. "Coach Pelphrey made my decision an easy one for me. I think Coach O is fantastic. The coaches at Arkansas made my decision an easy one."
Waithe joins Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy guard Mardracus Wade, 6-2, 170, and Irving (Texas) Macarthur guard Rickey Scott, 6-3, 195, as commitments in this class.
"I feel like Arkansas is a program on the rise," Waithe said. "Next season, we will surprise a lot of people. It will be a fun season for the fans. We're going to be a really good team."
Arkansas is also recruiting Hargrave center Shawn Kemp Jr., 6-9, 235, who has his decision down to Arkansas, Auburn and Georgia.