Stony Brook, N.Y. - Stony Brook head men's basketball coach Steve Pikiell announced the signing of Michael Almonacy and Andrew Garcia to National Letters of Intent Thursday.

"Michael and Andrew are terrific student-athletes and embody what we look for in our program," Pikiell said. "We're excited about their potential and look forward to having them on our team."

Almonacy, who earned Newsday's Dick Sandler Award as the Suffolk County Player of the Year last year, averaged 15.3 points per game for Brentwood High School, which has won back-to-back Long Island Class AA titles.

"The best thing I can say about Michael is that he has an acute understanding of what needs to happen," Brentwood coach Anthony Jimenez said. "He is the consummate leader. He's goal-oriented and has the mindset to get things done."

The 6-1 point guard, who led the Indians (24-2) to the New York State Class AA title game against Shenendehowa, is a two-time first team All-Long Island selection. In Brentwood's only other loss to Wings Academy, which won the Class AA Federation title, Almonacy scored a season-high 26 points.

"Michael averaged more than 20 points per game as a sophomore. We needed him to be more of a facilitator as a junior, and as a result, the team succeeded. That's the type of person and player Stony Brook is getting," said Jimenez, a Stony Brook graduate.

Almonacy earned NYSSWA All-State honors and was named to the Class AA All-Tournament Team. He starred on the AAU circuit for the Black Mambas.

"Michael is one of the top players on one of the top teams on Long Island," Pikiell said. "In the evaluation process, Michael stood out with his ability to score and handle the ball. I know Michael's excited to stay home and play in front of his family and friends."

Garcia, who averaged 18.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game as a junior, earned honorable mention All-Class AA for the Master's School.

"Andrew can flat out score," former Master's school coach Ralph Auriantal said. He's an aggressive, athletic player who has a college-ready body. He has the ability to play the two or three. Andrew is a humble person and a good teammate. Stony Brook is getting a great person."

Garcia is ranked as the No. 15 prospect in Connecticut and No. 32 in New England by the New England Recruiting Report.

A native of Harlem, the 6-5 Garcia starred for the Dominican Republic at the Nike Global Challenge, averaging a team-best 19.3 points in three games to earn International All-Tournament Team honors.

"Andrew's coaches and teammates call him "Buckets" and I can see why," Pikiell said. "He's going to score and score a lot for our program. He has the ability to elevate his game as he did for the Dominican Republic in the Nike Global Challenge. He has the ability to take over a game with his offensive and defensive prowess."