Ole Miss forward Rasheed Brooks developed a friendship with [db]Tyrek Coger[/db] on the amateur circuit.

It paid off for the Rebels this weekend.

Brooks told Ole Miss' coaches about Coger months ago, and Coger took a visit to Oxford on Friday. By Saturday morning, the 6-foot-9, 240-pound forward from Cape Fear (N.C.) Community College had given a verbal commitment to the Rebels.

Coger, a Raleigh, N.C., product, began his career at East Florida State. He committed to Missouri in 2013 but ultimately didn't sign with the Tigers due to academics. Coger transferred to Cape Fear midway through his first semester at East Florida State. He will play this season at Cape Fear and have two seasons of eligibility when he enrolls at Ole Miss in June 2016.

"Because of his frame and because of his touch around the rim and his motor, I think he can be an impact player on both ends of the court," Cape Fear assistant coach John Lattimore said. "He just plays so dang hard, and there's no replacing that."

A source close to the Ole Miss program told RebelGrove.com Saturday the Rebels feel Coger will be a top-five junior college forward by the end of the 2015-16 season. Ole Miss, which lost Dwight Coleby to Kansas and loses Anthony Perez and Tomasz Gielo to graduation after this season, is expected to focus on the frontcourt in recruiting its 2016 signing class.

"They've been on him a while," Lattimore said. "They had a good relationship with him. He was really impressed with the campus. He met the players and they were the kind of guys he likes. Ole Miss really stressed academics and he was really impressed by the resources academically. He just felt like it was a good fit. He felt really comfortable."

Lattimore said Coger has work to do in the next year at Cape Fear to get ready for the rigors of the Southeastern Conference.

"We've got some work to do in the weight room, for sure," Lattimore said. "He dropped some weight when he first got here, which was necessary. I think also he needs to extend his range out a little bit more. He can hit the 10-12-footer, but he needs to shoot a little bit better, I believe."

Coger won't be distracted by recruiting, Lattimore said. The decision, the Cape Fear coach said, appears to be final.

"It's firm," Lattimore said. "He wants to be a Rebel, for sure. He called me all excited and fired up. He had his hat on. He's ready to go."