SAN FRANCISCO – Built with an abundance of versatility, Academy of Art men's basketball head coach Scott Waterman has announced his 2020 recruiting class of six incoming student-athletes. Comprised of four guards and two forwards, this year's class consists entirely of incoming junior transfers that will be joining the school of Communications & Media Technologies upon their arrival. 
 
"We are incredibly excited about our 2020 recruiting class," Waterman said. "The group of young men that will be joining our program this year are not only great basketball players, but also excellent young men who will help us build upon our appearance in the PacWest Conference Tournament last year."
 
Michael Asante (Toronto, Ontario, Canada/Howard College)
Asante is a 6'6" forward from Toronto who joins the Urban Knights as a junior after spending the previous two years between Kilgore College and Howard College. While at Howard, he was able to average 4.7 points and 4.2 rebounds in just 11 games before his season was cut short. Before the collegiate level, Asante graduated from Emery Collegiate Institute in 2017 where he played basketball for four years.
 
"Mike is a physical presence who can score inside and out," Waterman said. "His ability to score on the block or on the perimeter is a skill that will benefit us in our offense this upcoming year, along with his strength and ability to crash the boards."
 
Grant Bellis (Folsom, Calif./Folsom Lake College)
The 6'5" wing from Folsom, Calif. comes to the Urban Knights after averaging 8.5 points and 2.3 rebounds per game while attending Folsom Lake College for two years. The son of Reid and Lynn Bellis, Grant's grandfather was a dual-sport athlete at Chico State, playing both on the court and on the gridiron. Prior to Folsom Lake College, Bellis graduated from Vista Del Lago High School in 2017 after captaining his team and being named a California All-State Honorable Mention. Among his favorite sports moments are winning the first two rounds of the playoffs in while at Vista Del Lago on back-to-back game-winning shots during his junior year.
 
"Grant is a hard-working wing who can really shoot the ball," Waterman said. "Having local ties, hailing from Sacramento, he is going to help bring depth to the wing position as well as bring maturity and a strong work ethic."
 
Jayden Coke (Ajax, Ontario, Canada/Gillete College)
A native Canadian from Ajax, Ontario, Coke is a versatile guard/forward at 6'6" who comes to ART U as a junior after spending his previous two years at Gillette College where he averaged 10.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game last season. Prior to college, Coke graduated from Bill Crothers Secondary School where he played basketball. Among the other teams that Coke has played for is Canada Elite, a member of the Under Armor Association. One of his favorite sports moments was last NBA season when the Toronto Raptors won the NBA Championship.
 
"Jayden brings length, versatility, and athleticism to the program while also being able to play multiple positions," Waterman said. "On the defensive end of the court he can guard all five positions and is able to score in a variety of ways."
 
Alex Heath (Cleveland/Lincoln Trail College)
Hailing from Cleveland, Heath is a combo guard standing 5'10" and entering his junior season after spending the previous two years at Lincoln Trail College where set the record for most 3-pointers in a game. Prior to college, Heath graduated from Garfield Heights High School in 2018 after captaining his team and being named the Garfield Heights MVP. Bringing a wealth of experience, Heath has played on a number of AAU basketball teams, and has won an AAU national championship as well. Among his favorite sports moments was the time he broke the scoring record while at Lincoln Trail College.
 
"Alex is a lead guard who has a great basketball IQ," Waterman said. "His ability to score from all three levels, as well as his unselfishness in being able to run a team, will add to the weapons we have returning for the 2020-2021 season."
 
Christian Popoola Jr. (Palo Alto, Calif./Salt Lake CC)
Making his hometown in Palo Alto, Calif., Popoola Jr. stands 6'4" from the guard position and comes to the Urban Knights to begin his junior campaign. His freshman season was spent with the Utah Utes before he transferred to Salt Lake Community College, the No. 4 team in the 2019-20 NJCAA DI rankings when the season ended, where he averaged 8.7 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. Popoola Jr.'s high school career started at Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas where he was an All-State selection for three years in basketball and ran varsity track & field for one year before transferring to and graduating from Lone Peak High School in Utah.
 
"Pop is an explosive athlete and has a track record of winning at the high school, four-year, and junior college levels," Waterman said. "His ability to penetrate and make plays, defensive presence, and competitive mentality will be tremendous assets to our program."
 
Jacob Smith (Richmond, Calif./Central Wyoming)
Born in Berkeley but making his home in Richmond, Calif., Jacob is the younger brother of Elijah Smith, an ART U baseball student-athlete in 2018 and 2019. Smith is a 6'1" guard who joins the Urban Knights after averaging 11.8 points per game on 41.2 percent shooting from the floor to go along with 2.2 assists per game over two seasons. Before graduating from El Cerrito High School in 2018, Smith was an All-League selection during his junior and senior campaigns. His favorite sports moment was scoring 30 points in his first start as a college freshman while at Central Wyoming.
 
"Jacob is a Bay Area product who has strong ties to ART U, as his brother is a recent alum of our baseball program," Waterman said. "As a shooter with deep range, Jacob will help spread the floor and we will look for him to help us improve our 3-point field goal percentage from last year."