SAN FRANCISCO – In his first ever recruiting class, head coach Todd Golden announced today the signing of Isaiah Hawthorne (Tracy, Calif./Tracy HS), Josh Kunen (Ballarat, Australia/Centre of Excellence), and Ryan Rapp (Melbourne, Australia/Mazenod College) who will enroll at USF this summer.
 
"We are thrilled to add these three student-athletes to our program," said Golden. "They all embody the qualities and characteristics we demand here on the Hilltop. As a whole, this class has great size, length, and intelligence. They have interchangeable skill-sets that fit effortlessly within our basketball system. We expect all three of these young men to be great ambassadors for our basketball program as well as the University of San Francisco."  
 
Hawthorne is a 6-8 small forward who is rated a three-star prospect according to Rivals.com and 247sports.com. According to NorCal Preps he's a four-star prospect and rated the No. 1 prospect in Northern California.  A four-time letter winner for the Bulldogs, he averaged 13.8 points per game and 8.3 rebounds per game in his high school career. 
 
"Isaiah can play anywhere from the point guard to power forward position," said Golden. "He's multi-dimensional offensively as he's able to create his own shot as well as create opportunities for others. He's wise beyond his years in terms of his basketball IQ, and his style of play will fit in seamlessly with our team.  We are very excited to add another Bay Area student-athlete to our program."
 
In his senior campaign, Hawthorne was named team captain and helped guide the Bulldogs to an 18-9 record while averaging 19.2 points per game and 9.4 rebounds per game. He shot 45 percent from the field and 37 percent from beyond the arc last season en route to all-league honors.
 
As a junior, Hawthorne averaged 19.9 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game en route to leading his team to a record of 18-8, including 8-2 in league play. That same year, Hawthorne was named First Team All-League and the TCAL League MVP after leading the Bulldogs to the program's first league title in 42 years. During his sophomore year, Hawthorne averaged 8.7 points and 7.3 rebounds.
 
In addition, he played AAU basketball with the Northern California-based Team Arsenal. 
 
Kunen is another 6-8 forward and one of two Australians to join the Dons in 2019-20. Kunen hails from Ballarat in Victoria and attended the Centre of Excellence. Playing for Victoria at the Australian U20 Championships, he averaged 6.7 points per game, 9.0 rebounds per game and 1.7 blocks per contest while shooting 42 percent from the field and 82 percent from the free throw line as he helped his squad win gold.
 
As a prep, he helped his school win the Australian School Championships in 2017 where he averaged 11.4 points per game and 9.0 rebounds per contest while dishing out 3.2 assists and shot 52.27 percent from the field.
 
"Josh is a combo forward with great length and natural feel for the game," added Golden. "He's gained valuable youth experience playing within the Australian National Team program, as well as attending the Centre of Excellence in Canberra. He also will be playing for The Australian Emus squad for the 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup this Summer in Greece. He fits the mold of an interchangeable forward, and has the ability to defend multiple positions. We are very happy to welcome Josh to our program."
 
Rapp is 6-5 guard with an exceptional on-court presence who resides in Melbourne, Australia.  He played for Mazenod College and helped guide the Nodders to a 2017 Associated Catholic College (ACC) league title for the first time in school history. He was the team captain for the Nodders his senior season and helped guide them to a second-straight ACC title, the first time his school won back-to-back titles.  Rapp earned First Team All-ACC honors in 2017 and '18 and was the team MVP both seasons. 
 
He also played club basketball for Dandenong Rangers in Victoria's Junior Basketball League.  His squad won four state titles and three classic championships. He was on the 2018 Youth U23 starting point guard. 
 
"Ryan is a big combo guard, and his best basketball is ahead of him," said Golden. "He already has a great understanding of how to play the lead guard position. He has great feel, and is very comfortable operating out of the pick-and-roll. He's made big strides in his all-around game over the past year, and we expect him to continue on that trajectory. He already has a great frame, and we expect him to continue to add strength as he develops in our program. We are excited to welcome Ryan to the Hilltop."