Much could still happen by signing day, but the Hawaii men’s basketball team has secured an oral commitment from junior college swingman Michael Harvey for the 2011-12 season, according to his coach at Feather River (Calif.) College.

Should the commitment hold, the 6-foot-5, 190-pound sophomore would represent the third of five scholarships UH can hand out for next season. He’d have two years of eligibility remaining.

"We finished the season last week, and right then, just to get done with everything, he was like, ‘I’d like to give them (Hawaii) a verbal,’ " Feather River coach Randy Rick said yesterday.

The JUCO in Northern California relied on Harvey for much of its production. The 6-foot-5 slasher averaged about 20 points and 10 rebounds this season, Rick said.

"To me he’s just a great athlete. Jumps out of the gym," Rick said. "He’s just one of those guys that can play above the rim in a transition-type game. … I don’t know what his vertical leap is, but I know he can stick his elbow in the rim.

"We’ve had some pretty good athletes out here in the past, and Michael, athletic-wise, is a freak. He’s one of the top kids we’ve ever had here."

Harvey cannot sign a national letter of intent to play at UH until April 13, the first day of the spring period. He must still take an official visit and gain admission to UH.

Rick said Harvey "is doing great in school."

Harvey played high school ball at Sidney Lanier in Montgomery, Ala.

The other two UH commits for 2011-12 are Morningside (Calif.) High guard Gerry Blakes and Serra (Calif.) High forward Ronnie Stevens. Both signed letters of intent in the fall.

2011 DHC field completed

Auburn of the Southeastern Conference and Southern Illinois of the Missouri Valley Conference were announced as the final teams in the 2011 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic field yesterday.

"We feel this really rounds out our field for a stellar tournament," tourney executive director David Matlin said. "I think we’re definitely attracting interest from the conferences we sought out to receive and get in some very solid mid-majors. There’s a lot of interest, so we feel we’re continuing to head in the right direction for a premier tournament."

The field also includes Xavier, UTEP, Long Beach State, Clemson, Kansas State and host Hawaii. K-State recently replaced Texas A&M, which was bumped to the 2013 field.