Favour Aire, 2022 four-star center, signs with Miami

Favour Aire, a 6-foot-10 center out of District Heights (Md.) Bishop McNamara has signed his NLI with Miami basketball for the class of 2022, he tells On3.

Aire is the Hurricanes’ fourth pledge of the class. He joins AJ Casey, Christian Watson, and Danilo Jovanovich. 

Aire ultimately chose Miami over Rutgers and Georgetown. He also received offers from Indiana, LSU, Georgia, Maryland, amongst others.

Aire on his decision to Miami

“They made it clear that they have a growth plan for me,” Favour Aire said. “Me personally, I didn’t start playing basketball until 2017. At this point, I still have a whole lot more to learn. They made it clear on my visit that there was a growth plan that they have for me. Ultimately, anyone that plays this sport, wants to make it to the NBA. They have a plan to help me get there. Also, they have two or three seniors in the frontcourt that will graduate after this year so that’s a lot of playing time on the table. So I’m going to come in, locked in. I believe I have the chance to play as a freshman so that was a big factor.”

How did the coaching staff react?

“Coach (Bill) Courtney came to my school to see me during the morning, and I decided to tell him and he rushed me and hugged me,” Aire said. “I wasn’t expecting it, but yeah, he was excited. I called Coach L (Jim Larranaga) when I got out of school that day and he was excited too. He said he was going to tell his wife when he got back to the house. The whole staff was really excited.”

What does Aire bring to Miami?

“I can defend and I can switch on the perimeter,” Aire said. “The defensive part is what comes naturally to me. Blocking shots, rebounding, and playing solid defense. I’m a good scorer in the post, and I can catch lobs easily. I have long arms (7-foot-5 wingspan) so any pass that’s thrown in my radius, I can catch it. I can hit the 15-17 footers. I’m working on my three-point game right now. I’m a developing player.”