MOSCOW, Idaho – Idaho men's basketball and head coach Don Verlin are excited to announce the signing of Cassius Smits-Francisco of Cave Creek, Arizona.
 
"We are very excited to have Cassius join the Vandal Family," said Don Verlin.  "He is a wonderful young man that has had to overcome some hard and difficult injuries in his career.  He has shown great character to come back from those injuries.  He is going to be a great Vandal and together with the others in this recruiting class will provide a great future for the Vandals."
 
Smits-Francisco had a shortened senior season with Cactus Shadows High School due to injury his junior year.  He averaged seven points and five rebounds per contest.  The 6-9 big also brings a substantial defensive presence with his 235lb frame, averaging 1.3 block per game.
 
He played with club team Powerhouse AZ with director John Ortega which is where the Vandal staff first saw Smits-Francisco play in April.
 
"We saw Cassius play in the first evaluation weekend in April and then I followed him to every game he played the second weekend," Verlin added. We knew that he was the player and person we wanted.
 
"His uncle and guardian is Rik Smits, the long time NBA player with the Indiana Pacers.  He has people in his corner that know what it takes to be good and what it takes to get better.  Cassius' upside is huge and I can't wait to have our staff start working with him."
 
Fans can stay up-to-date on all things men's basketball by following the team on twitter @VandalHoops.
 
For more information on Idaho Athletics, visit GoVandals.com.  Fans can also find Idaho on Twitter and Instagram, @Idaho_Vandals, or on Facebook by searching Idaho Vandals.