That’s why many people were surprised when Amoroso orally committed to play for Marquette’s men’s basketball team Saturday, Aug. 16.

“(I’d) been pondering it for a week or so,” Amoroso said. “I sat down with my family (Friday) night and talked about it. Then I called coach (Tom) Crean about 5:30 and sealed the deal.

“He was ecstatic, he said he’d been waiting for those words for four months and said he can’t wait to coach me.”

Amoroso said he’s just as excited to be donning a Marquette jersey.

“Tom is what I like to call a player’s coach,” he said. “He gives you the opportunity to win and he wants every one of his players to succeed on and off the court.

“Coach Crean puts (players) in the best situation to succeed.”

Amoroso caught the attention of a number of other schools with large basketball aspirations after a breakout junior season in which he averaged 23.7 points and 10.8 rebounds while leading his team to a 22-7 record in Minnesota’s top division.

Michigan State, Florida, Iowa State, Illinois and Creighton also showed interest in Amoroso and his outside game, where he shot 43.0 percent from behind the arc last season.

“He’s going to be the kind of kid that can go inside and bang with the big guys and then he can step out on the perimeter, similar to (Steve) Novak,” Burnsville coach Doug Boe said. “He’s a big kid who can stroke it. He’s got a great shot. He’s going to be a real weapon.”