Miami Hurricanes basketball signs class of 2021 guard Bensley Joseph

The Miami Hurricanes basketball team gained a commitment from class of 2021 guard Bensley Joseph on Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Jeff Borzello. He will enroll in the fall and be eligible to play in the upcoming season.

A four-star prospect, Bensley played high school for Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut. He originally committed to the Hurricanes last summer over offers from Georgetown, Providence, Rutgers, Marquette and more.

Miami finished this past season 10-17 under head coach Jim Larranaga. The Hurricanes return two of their top three scorers in guards Isaiah Wong and Kameron McGusty. Described as a pure point guard, Bensley should fit in some place behind them and add depth to the roster.

He is the third member of their 2021 recruiting class, along with Jakai Robinson and Nisine Poplar. The Hurricanes also added transfer guard Charlie Moore (14.4 points per game in 2020) from DePaul this offseason.

The 71-year-old Larranaga has coached the Hurricanes basketball program since 2011. He has twice taken them to the Sweet Sixteen, the furthest they have ever advanced in the NCAA Tournament. However, it’s worth asking about his job security after three consecutive losing seasons.

Could the returning talent plus this new recruiting class get Miami back to its winning ways? Robinson is the only player ranked in the On3 2021 Top-100 Players, coming in at No. 83.

Neither Joseph nor Poplar are ranked in On3’s top-100 players.

The Hurricanes open their season with an exhibition games against Nova Southeastern on Oct. 20. That will be the first chance fans have to take a gander at the new recruiting class, including Joseph.

It has been a painful past three seasons to be a Hurricanes hoops fans. However, they appear to have a strong group of guards to carry them through 2021. Hopefully they are able to build on last year and turn things around.