IOWA CITY, IA -- University of Iowa Men's Basketball Coach Fran McCaffery announced today that Melsahn Basabe has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Iowa. Basabe is the first recruit for McCaffery at Iowa.

"Melsahn is a versatile forward who is a terrific athlete," said McCaffery. "He can play the point or the back of the press. He runs the floor extremely well and finishes plays. In addition, he is a young man of outstanding character and there is no doubt he will make a strong contribution to our program. We are ecstatic he will be a Hawkeye!"

Basabe is a 6-foot-7, 215-pound forward from Glen Cove, NY, who prepped at St. Mark's School. A team captain as a senior, he was recognized on the all-league team averaging 13 points and nine rebounds for the NEPSAC Class C runner-up Lions this past season. He netted 30 points in his team's first 2010 playoff game. Basabe also played for the highly-regarded New York Gauchos AAU squad last summer.

Basabe will join already signed Hawkeye recruits Devyn Marble and Zach McCabe on the 2010-11 Iowa roster.