Marshall has received a verbal commitment from men's basketball recruit Dagoberto "Dago" Pena, a Dominican Republic native who starred at Charlotte High School in Punta Gorda, Fla.

Pena was one of the nation's most talented senior prep prospects without a college destination. But he found one Friday, when he chose Marshall over South Carolina.

Pena will join Marshall's other incoming freshmen -- Shaquille Johnson, Damier Pitts and Kore White -- in Huntington on Monday. The hoops quartet will start summer school Tuesday.

Marshall Coach Donnie Jones couldn't be reached for comment today.

"I felt comfortable with Coach Jones and the whole staff when I met them," Pena told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. "It's a good opportunity for me to play right away. (Jones) knows how to make me better and help me get to the next level."

The 6-foot-6, 200-pound guard averaged 21 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two steals per game as a senior, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Pena, who visited Marshall on July 1, signed with Florida Atlantic in November 2007, but he asked to be released from his national letter of intent in May after the Owls changed coaches.

FAU hired Mike Jarvis to replace Rex Walters, who resigned to take the same post at San Francisco.

"I was really happy about going to FAU with my best friend (Shay Shine, of Desoto High School in Florida)," Pena told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. "I was sad when everything fell apart, but now I'm playing in (Conference USA) with better teams like Memphis."

Pena, who was No. 141 in Rivals.com's Class of 2008 national rankings, finished second behind Johnson in the voting for Florida's Class 5A Player of the Year award.

Pena will be on scholarship at Marshall. That means the Thundering Herd has 13 scholarships for 14 players.

Marshall's prospective 2008-09 roster features seniors Markel Humphrey and Darryl Merthie; juniors Tyler Wilkerson, Adam Williams, Chris Lutz and Octavius Spann; sophomores Camden Miller, Tirrell Baines and Brandon Powell; and freshmen Marcus Goode, Johnson, Pena, Pitts and White.