Nov. 25, 2009

(San Francisco) - USF Director of Golf Dr. Gary Nelson announced today that James Back (Cerritos, CA), Alika Bell (Kaneohe, HI) and Dylan Smith (San Francisco) have signed National Letters of Intent (NLIs) to compete at the University of San Francisco starting in 2010-11. This trio features two players ranked in the top-50 nationally and forms the strongest recruiting class landed by Nelson and head coach Rich Yokota.

Back comes to the Hilltop after posting a sparkling No. 4 national ranking on the Junior Golf Scoreboard. Bell is a four-sport star at Hawaii prep power Kamehameha High School and captured back-to-back Hawaii state boy's titles with a tournament scoring average of 68.2 as a junior. A local product, Smith posted a runner-up finish at the 2009 Northern California Junior Championships at Spyglass Hill, shooting a pair of 69's.

"We are very excited to welcome an outstanding group of accomplished golfers to the University of San Francisco," Nelson said. "We lose a big group of seniors and this talented group is capable of filling the void and contributing immediately. This is a tremendous group and we look forward to coaching them."

JAMES BACK, Freshman (Cerritos, CA/Cerritos HS) - Business Major
James Back is the highest rated junior golfer to ever sign with USF. Back captured medalist honors in the boy's division of the AJGA Heather Farr Classic, firing a 6-under 207 (69, 66, 72) and won the event in a sudden death playoff for his second tournament triumph in Arizona. In national and high level regional events, Back posted four top-five finishes and an additional five top-10 showings, including an eighth place performance at the LA City Championships (4-under).

Dr. Nelson on James Back: "James is one of those rarities, a supremely talented young man, who has fun on the course, enjoying in equal amounts, the competition, his playing partners and the course itself. Most impressive is his maturity in using superior course management, a skill that is often lacking in young prospects."

ALIKA BELL, Freshman (Kaneohe, HI/Kamehameha HS) - Business Major
Bell, the reigning Hawaiian State High School golf champion, continues the strong tradition of Hawaiian golfers in the USF program, joining recent team members, Kurt Nino, Ed Han, Moses Kahalekulu and Kris Baptist. Bell's recruitment was aided by a grant to USF from the Matson Company, specifically for use in recruiting Hawaiian student-athletes. A standout in multiple sports, Bell competed in football, basketball, track and golf for the Warriors. Bell won the 2009 Aloha Section Junior PGA Championship, firing a 1-under 69 in the final round and took the hardware in the Hawaii Tournament of Champions at 4-under. Bell posted three top-five showings on the junior circuit.

Dr. Nelson on Alika Bell: "Alika is one of those rare individuals - a four sport athlete who can still maintain a 3.80 grade point average. As he concentrates on a single sport, golf, his potential is almost limitless."

DYLAN SMITH, Freshman (San Francisco, CA/St. Ignatius HS) - Undeclared
A local product, Smith competes at St. Ignatius Prep. In one of his most recent junior events, Smith shot 69, 69 at Spyglass Hill Golf Course during the 2009 Northern California Junior Championships in taking second place to Cal freshman phenom, Michel Weaver.

Dr. Nelson on Dylan Smith: "Dylan only lacks tournament experience to become an excellent collegiate golfer. His ball-striking and course management already put him with the top prospects nationally," states Dr. Gary Nelson, Director of Golf at USF.