A Look Into Kyshawn George, Miami’s Latest Commit

Swiss guard Kyshawn George joined center Michael Nwoko as the second pledge of Miami’s 2023 recruiting class on Wednesday night.

This commitment was first reported by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.

The 6-foot-6 guard, who has grown 10 inches over the last three-and-a-half years, plays for Élan Chalon of LNB Pro B, a second-tier professional league in France. George played four seasons on Chalon’s under-21 team. His 2022-23 campaign was his most productive, as George averaged 17.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.4 steals per game before getting elevated to Chalon’s professional team.

In 19 games with the professional squad, George has averaged 2.9 points, with 15 of his 19 made baskets coming from deep.

According to BeBasket, a French publication, George was also pursued by Baylor during his recruitment. Élan Chalon representative Rémy Delpon was aware of George’s intentions to play collegiate basketball in the United States, according to an interview with JSL in late-February 2023.

“It’s been a long time since we had a kid like him. He has potential … Kyshawn is at the center of the club’s project for the years to come,” Delpon said. “It’s up to us to convince him that the shortest way to the NBA is with Élan. The goal is to sign him pro quickly. Now, we know that U.S. universities are courting him. We are going to sit around a table with his parents and him to talk about all this.”

Author’s note: I loosely translated this quote from French.

NBA players Thabo Sefolosha and Udonis Haslem used to play for Élan Chalon. George’s father, Deon George, also played professional basketball, according to BeBasket.

George joins a Miami backcourt that is expected to return starters Nijel Pack and Wooga Poplar, along with key bench contributor Bensley Joseph. UM head coach Jim Larrañaga said on Tuesday that UM “will have to add a guy to that group” to help solidify the guard rotation.