During his recruiting visit to Florida, Dominican big man Eloy Vargas stayed with junior point guard Walter Hodge.
Like Hodge, Vargas left his native country for the United States in high school. Hodge arrived from Guyanabo, Puerto Rico, as a high-school sophomore. Vargas moved to Fort Lauderdale from Santiago in the Dominican Republic as a high school freshman.
"We just hung out," Vargas said. "He showed me the school. He showed me everything."
The pairing of standout Latin basketball players paid off. Vargas made an oral commitment to Florida on Wednesday night, four weeks after his visit, adding a third quality big man to its 2008 recruiting class.
The 6-foot-10, 220-pound Vargas is considered an excellent rebounder and shot-blocker who is improving offensively.
"Eloy is a skilled big man who handles the ball like a guard," said Danny Herz, Vargas' high school coach at American Heritage in Plantation. "He has not reached his full potential yet, but each year, he gets better."
Vargas is the ninth-rated power forward in his class according to Scout.com. At 220 pounds, the main drawback for Vargas is his strength for the position, though Herz believes he'll bulk up in college.
Donovan lands Dominican star 
09-28-2007, 01:43 PM
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