Meek at it:
The Diaz house was packed when Kansas State faced Butler in the Elite Eight in March.
Surrounded by aunts, uncles and cousins — all of whom were pulling for Frank Martin and the Wildcats — Adrian Diaz had a feeling K-State might be in his future.
"Absolutely," said Diaz, a 6-foot-11 center from Miami.
Diaz made it official Sunday, becoming K-State's first verbal commitment for the class of 2011. A versatile big man from Hialeah-Miami Lakes High, Diaz chose K-State instead of Alabama, Florida, Purdue, Tennessee and others.
"I really felt comfortable with them — the offensive sets, how they run up and down the floor," Diaz said. "I really feel comfortable with the whole coaching staff, not just coach Martin."
Clearly, though, Martin's Miami connections factored in the decision. Diaz said his uncle is close to Martin and Shakey Rodriguez, Martin's former boss at Miami Senior High.
Diaz, who shares Martin's Cuban heritage, also liked the prospect of joining other players from the Miami area. Current Wildcats Martavious Irving and Freddy Asprilla spent their high school careers in Florida, and Miami has been a recruiting hotbed for K-State since Martin was hired.
"I'm not the only one from Miami that's going to be there," Diaz said.
ESPN described Diaz as a "major sleeper" in the 2011 class after his performance at the AAU nationals last week. Diaz, who recently turned 17, said his recruiting interest spiked significantly this summer.
"I would say last year at the end of the summer, that's when mid-majors started calling me and getting in touch with me," Diaz said. "As the year went on, I had bigger and bigger schools calling me."
Diaz's size — 6-11, 205 pounds — and length caught the eyes of high-major coaches, and the attention intensified when Diaz displayed an expanded offensive game this summer.
"I can run up and down the floor really well as a big man," Diaz said. "I have great hands. I can score in transition. I can hit 15-and-out jump shots."
With his stock climbing, Diaz didn't stay on the market for long. K-State fans won't be disappointed, he said.
"I play with heart, really," he said. "I'm going to leave it all on the court."
K-State will have at least two scholarships to fill in 2011 with the departure of seniors Jacob Pullen and Curtis Kelly. The addition of Diaz means K-State could field a future frontcourt of Diaz, Asprilla, Jamar Samuels, McDonald's All-American Wally Judge and 7-footer Jordan Henriquez-Roberts.
