Amida Brimah, a 6-foot-11 center from Miami, signed a national letter of intent Monday to play for UConn, making him a full-fledged member of the program.

The signing was expected. Brimah orally committed to UConn on Jan. 14, when he visited the school and watched the Huskies lose to Louisville. Last weekend he traveled to New York to watch incoming freshmen Kentan Facey and Terrence Samuel in an all-star game, a strong indication of his investment in the program. Brimah, originally from Ghana, is expected to begin classes at UConn in early July.

"Amida was one of the most passionate basketball players I saw during the entire recruiting period, and I fell in love with his passion for the game," UConn coach Kevin Ollie said. "He showed leadership both on and off the court, and then he was the best player in the game."

Brimah, like Facey, has been playing organized basketball for only a few years. He played mostly soccer during his childhood in Ghana.
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But as a senior at Miami's Archbishop Carroll, Brimah averaged 16 points, 11.7 rebounds and 7.2 blocks and shot 68 percent from the floor and 72 percent from the free-throw line. Brimah had five triple-doubles and helped Archbishop Carroll (26-5) reach the Florida Class 4A regional semifinals.

The consensus evaluation of Brimah is that he could help UConn immediately as a defensive presence, but that his offensive skills will need time to develop. UConn coaches began closely monitoring him last November, as did other schools.

"We think Amida can be another in the long line of outstanding UConn big men," Ollie said. "He's a terrific shot-blocker and rebounder. He's obviously got to get stronger , but he's got a chance to make an impact right away. I love the fact that he is dying to get up here this summer."

"With Amida joining Kentan and Terrence, we think we have three new players coming in who can all help us. What I like best is they each have a relentless motor that just keeps going. They are excited to play basketball."