MHERST, Mass. -- University of Massachusetts basketball coach Steve Lappas announced today that Art Bowers, a 6-4, 200-pound shooting guard from St. Benedict's (N.J.) Prep School, has signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Minutemen next season.
"We are really excited to sign Art," Lappas said. "He's a player who will really fit into our system. Art is a tremendous athlete and a gifted offensive player. I'm really looking forward to having him in our program, because he's a special talent. Art's a driver, but he also has the ability to hit the three-pointer, too, so his versatility is a huge plus."
As a junior for coach Danny Hurley, Bowers, a native of Wilmington, Del., averaged 16 points per game en route to first team All-State honors. He led St. Benedict's, located in Newark, N.J., to a 22-7 record and the state championship.
Ranked as the nation's 32nd-best prep prospect by ESPN.com and the 44th-best by PrepStars, he earned All-Tournament honors at the PowerAid and Slam Dunk to the Beach events as a junior. Bowers is also a two-time Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions Most Valuable Player.
Bowers, who selected UMass over Wake Forest, Rutgers, De Paul and Pittsburgh, outscored 2002 Ohio high school Player of the Year and Sports Illustrated coverboy Lebron James, 21-18, in a head-to-head match-up last season, but James' St. Vincent-St. Mary's team pulled out a 67-60 victory.
MHERST - Art Bowers didn't waste any time making his verbal commitment an official one.
The 6-foot-4 swingman, who is originally from Delaware but goes to St. Benedict's in Newark, N.J., signed his national letter of intent Wednesday and will now officially attend the University of Massachusetts next year.
Minuteman coach Steve Lappas was pleased to have Bowers on board.
"He's a real good player," Lappas said. "He's from a great program. He's been very well coached. He can score and defend."
Bowers played for former Seton Hall guard Danny Hurley at St. Benedict's and averaged 16 points per game while leading the school to a state championship. He's considered a top 100 prospect and has been ranked among the top 50 high school seniors by several recruiting services.
Bowers will join a crowded perimeter as seven players return next year.
"We have a lot of guys back. But he brings an added dimension," said Lappas. "He's really good at getting to the basket. He's like an attack dog going to the rim. When a guy can do that, people have to help out on defense and that really creates opportunities for other people."
When he announced his verbal commitment in September, Bowers was excited about UMass.
"I liked the location and the coaching staff presented itself really well," Bowers said. "I liked the campus and the area and the education. I felt really comfortable there when I visited."
Bowers thought he'd be a good fit in Lappas' motion offense.
"We had a big conversation about his style of play," Bowers said of Lappas. "I like it because people get to see what you can do. He bases his system on guys that can score and I can score with anybody."
Bowers said he's close to achieving the necessary mix of grade point average and standardized test results to be eligible as a freshman. He'll have several more opportunities to take the SAT.
Dave Telep, who runs TheInsidersHoops.com, an online recruiting service, has Bowers ranked just outside of his top 50 players nationally.
"I love him," Telep said. "He's one of the most consistent scorers in the country. He's a savvy kid. He's a very, very good basketball player. He really knows how to score within the team concept."
Telep added that while Bowers can drive to the basket and hit from long range, his strength was his mid-range game.
The Minutemen are hoping to get a commitment from Roman Narbaye, a big man from Chad, who is playing high school basketball in New Jersey.
The early signing period runs until next Wednesday. After that, players can't sign again until April.
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com.