Martin announces signing of Diaz, Gipson

Kansas State men's basketball coach Frank Martin announced the signing of high school standouts Adrian Diaz (Miami, Fla./Hialeah-Miami Lakes) and Thomas Gipson (Cedar Hill, Texas/Cedar Hill) to National Letters of Intent on Monday.

Both players are listed on the Rivals150 by Rivals.com with the 6-foot-7, 245-pound Gipson listed at No. 142 and the 6-foot-11, 220-pound Diaz checking in at No. 145. Gipson is listed 24th nationally among power forwards by Rivals.com, while Diaz ranks 17th among centers nationally.

"As we were preparing for this year's recruiting class, we wanted to build depth on our frontline," said Martin. "We centered our focus on two frontline guys and we got exactly the two players we wanted in Adrian and Thomas. They both bring size and athleticism, but they are different players. Thomas is more of a big wide-body presence at the rim. He's a big, strong young man, who once he gets in our weight program will continue to evolve. In Adrian, we have a 6-foot-11 runner who has a high skill level. Just like Thomas, he is a high level competitor who fits who we are at K-State."

An emerging post prospect, Diaz is currently a senior at Hialeah-Miami Lakes High School in Hialeah, Fla. As a junior, he averaged 13 points, eight rebounds and four blocks for the Trojans, which posted a 5-15 overall record and 3-7 mark in league play in 2009-10. He was named preseason honorable mention all-state by FloridaHoops.com. He will be the third member of his family to play college basketball, following his brothers, Eric, who played at Eckerd College, and Andres (Andy), who currently is a sophomore forward at North Florida.

Diaz received scholarship offers from a variety of schools, including Virginia Tech, South Florida and Florida International, along with interest from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Tennessee and Syracuse.

Rated as the 13th-best prospect in the state of Texas by TexasHoops.com, Gipson is currently a senior at Cedar Hill High School in Cedar Hill, Texas. As a junior, he led the team in scoring (16 ppg.) and rebounding (7.2 rpg.) en route to helping the Longhorns to a 28-4 overall record and a trip to the area round of the 2010 UIL (University Interscholastic League) Class 5A Tournament. The team ranked as high as No. 6 in the TABC (Texas Association of Basketball Coaches) Class 5A state poll before losing to Lewisville, 84-82, in the area-round playoffs. Gipson was a TABC first team Class 5A All-State selection and was co-MVP of District 7-5A. He helped Cedar Hill to the 2009 Class 5A state final as a sophomore where he averaged 12.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. He was named first team All-Area by the Dallas Morning News and was the District 7-5A Sophomore of the Year.

Gipson received scholarship offers from a number of schools, including Baylor, California, Florida International, Georgia State, Iowa, Oklahoma State, SMU, Tulane and West Virginia.