Tyler Bergantino made his commitment to UMass official.

This was the Gazette story from his signing in September.

Tyler Bergantino did not wait long into his visit to the University
of Massachusetts to give the coaching staff the news they hoped for.

The big man from Florida, who stands either 6-foot-8 or 6-foot-9
depending on which recruiting website you believe, gave the Minutemen a
verbal commitment during his official visit Friday.

Bergantino said he liked the atmosphere at UMass.

"They made me feel like I'm part of the family which is exactly what
I wanted," said Bergantino, who had interest from South Florida and
Virginia Tech as well as several mid-majors. "It's a great atmosphere.
... Every coach I've ever talked to, the little things they say you can
pick apart. You can tell he's not telling the truth on this or he's
unsure about that. I couldn't pick apart anything Coach (Derek) Kellogg
and his staff had to say. Everything they said was genuine. It was all
real. I really liked that. They weren't snake oil salesmen. They were
straight up with me."

Bergantino is a two-time winner of the St. Petersburg Times'
all-North Suncoast Player of the Year award. As a junior he averaged 18
points, 13 rebounds and five blocks for Natural Coast Technical High
School.

"My game right now is rebounding, back to the basket, post presence.
I really like playing defense. I really think I can bring a lot to the
defensive side of the game," he said. "I'm looking forward to working
on my ballhandling so I can be an all-around type of guy. I really want
to advance my game."

Bergantino said he lost 42 pounds and is listed at 230 pounds on
ESPN.com. He met Rich Hogans, a new member of UMass' strength and
conditioning staff, on his visit and liked Hogans' plan to further
improve his physique.

"Rich Hogans is great. I think he can do wonders. I want to get
bigger while keeping my athletic ability. The way (Hogans) does things
is the way I operate," Bergantino said. "I'm excited to get up here and
become a beast hopefully."

Bergantino played against Minuteman freshman Cady Lalanne two years
ago in the Florida high school playoffs. He said Lalanne calmed any
concerns he had about Massachusetts winters.

"Me and Cady actually played each other. His team beat my team in
the elite eight his senior year and my sophomore year. It was the clash
of the big men," Bergantino said. "He's such a nice guy, I'm really
looking forward to getting to know him better. I didn't realize he was
so down to earth and humble."

Adding a big man was critical for the Minutemen, who lose Sean
Carter and Matt Hill to graduation after this season leaving them with
Lalanne and freshman Maxie Esho inside.

Bergantino will join Trey Davis, a point guard from Texas who is
doing a postgraduate year at Vermont Academy, in UMass' recruiting
class. The Minutemen have one more scholarship to offer.

NCAA rules prohibit Kellogg from commenting on prospective recruits until they officially sign a National Letter of Intent.

Bergantino was glad to have his decision made.

"I feel great. Hopefully we'll win states. We have seven seniors on
my high school team. Hopefully we can leave high school with a bang and
a ring," said Bergantino, who planned to tailor his studies at UMass
around eventually working for a charity. "I want to work for a
non-profit organization like the Make-A-Wish Foundation. That's my
calling."