May 20, 2001

MILWAUKEE - Derek Huff (Louisville, Ky.) has signed a national letter of intent to play men's basketball at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, head coach Bruce Pearl announced today.

Huff, a 6-foot-8, 245-pound forward, was recruited earlier by Mississippi, Louisville, Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Tennessee.

"I chose UWM because of the coaching staff and for the chance to be a major contributor to an up-and-coming program," Huff said.

"If Derek was 100-percent healthy, he would have been able to play at the highest level of college basketball," Pearl said. "However, he does need surgery on a broken bone in his foot and that may have scared some schools away. Derek is such a tough competitor to play hurt all these years. When he is healthy, he will be a dominate force in the league."

Playing last season at Marshalltown Community College (Iowa), Huff averaged 10 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in limited playing time due to injury. He played at St. Catharine Junior College (Ky.) for two years prior, redshirting the 1999-00 season with a broken foot.

At Louisville Fern Creek High School, Huff received all-state honorable mention honors and was named to the all-region and all-district first teams. He averaged 10 points, eight blocks, eight rebounds, three assists and 1.3 steals per game as a forward/center in his senior year.