Myers Joins Men's Basketball Class of 2017

One week after the decommitment of Noah Allen, the Harvard men’s basketball team’s Class of 2017 is back up to two members.

Forward Hunter Myers committed to the Crimson on Tuesday, joining highly-touted recruit Zena Edosomwan in coach Tommy Amaker’s fifth Harvard recruiting class.

Myers, ranked the No. 38 power forward in the high school Class of 2013 by ESPN, picked the Crimson less than a week after making an official visit to Stanford.

“[Harvard and Stanford] were my top two, so I spent a lot of time comparing,” said Myers, who visited Harvard in late September. “Basically what it came down to was I felt a lot more comfortable, just a lot more at home, when I was at the Harvard campus.”

“I really fell in love with the campus and campus life,” added Myers, who hails from Minden, Nev.

Known for his tall frame and ability to stretch opposing defenses with his jumpshot, Myers picked the Crimson over offers from Cal, UC Santa Barbara, Lehigh, and Princeton. At the time of his commitment, Myers had yet to receive a scholarship offer from Stanford, which is still pursuing Jabari Parker, widely considered the top prospect in his class.

“I just kind of wanted to get the decision out of the way, and Harvard’s definitely not a step down [from Stanford],” Myers said.

News of Myers’ commitment to the Crimson has already generated excitement and lofty expectations.

“Hearing Hunter Myers will attend Harvard. Don't be surprised he's an Ivy [Player of the Year] candidate one day,” tweeted Dave Telep, a Senior National Recruiting Analyst for ESPN.com.

Myers has more tempered expectations.

“I don’t know exactly how I’ll fit in, but I’m looking forward to a new opportunity,” Myers said. “I like to consider myself a jack of all trades. I’ll go out and do whatever needs to be done. But mostly I like spot-up shooting, and I really take defense to heart.”

According to Garry Hill-Thomas, Myers' AAU coach with the Nevada Wolverines, Myers wasn’t always a shooter.

“When I first got him he was strictly an under-the-basket type of player—just hook shots and finishes,” said Hill-Thomas, who has coached Myers since he was in the eighth grade. “We’ve been able to extend his range to outside the three-point line.”

Thanks to Myers' time in the gym, the coach now considers the forward’s range one of his strengths.

“Clearly he’s a great defender, but he can step out and shoot the ball extremely well,” Hill-Thomas said.

Myers' coach at Douglas High School Corey Thacker also commends Myers' work ethic.

"In school, things come very naturally [to him]," said Thacker of Myers, who boasts a 4.0 unweighted GPA. "In basketball he has to work for everything he's got, and he's worked very hard to get to the place he is right now."

Hill-Thomas expects Myers to make a smooth transition to college.

“He’s a special kid,” Hill-Thomas said. “He’s a kid who gives you everything he’s got on the court and in the classroom.”

“It’s a great situation,” he added. “He’ll do very well there."

—Staff writer Martin Kessler can be reached at martin.kessler@college.harvard.edu.