June 28, 1999
Damon Escoffery of Brooklyn, N.Y., has signed a national letter-of-intent to play college basketball at Texas A&M, Aggies coach Melvin Watkins said Monday.
Escoffery, a 6-4 guard, sat out last year after playing the 1997-98 season as a freshman at Monterey Peninsula College in Monterey, Calif. He will have three years of eligibility at A&M. Escoffery averaged 18.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists at Monterey Peninsula, earning first-team all-conference honors and leading the team to a 21-4 record. He was also named the conference's defensive player of the year and was named most valuable player at the Los Angeles City Tournament.
As a senior at Erasmus High School in Brooklyn, Escoffery averaged 28.4 points per game and earned all-city honors. He was an honorable mention All-American by Street & Smith's and Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook and was also nominated to the McDonald's High School All-America Team. As a junior, he averaged 18.1 points and led the team to the city championship at Madison Square Garden, earning most valuable player honors. He was also recruited by West Virginia, Pepperdine and Alabama-Birmingham.
"Damon is an exciting perimeter player who is capable of playing several positions," Watkins said. "He loves the game and loves to win. He's a highly skilled player and we think he will be a very pleasant surprise for us."
Escoffrey is the eighth player to sign with the Aggies this year and completes one of the top recruiting classes in school history. A&M's recruiting class has been ranked as high as No. 14 nationally by recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons.
This spring, A&M also signed 6-8 forward Keith Bean of Fontana, Calif. (a transfer from North Carolina State), 6-11 center Andy Slocum of West Monroe, La., 6-6 forward Larry Scott of St. James, Md., and 6-6 swingman Jesse King of Detroit, Mich. In November, Watkins signed 6-5 guard Bernard King of Gibsland, La., 6-1 guard Jamaal Gilchrist of Middleburg, Va., and 6-7 forward Carlton Brown of Temple (Texas) Junior College.
1999 TEXAS A&M RECRUITING CLASS
(1999-2000 classification listed)
Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl-Ex Hometown (High School/College)
Keith Bean F 6-8 250 So-Tr Fontana, Calif. (Fontana/North Carolina State)
Carlton Brown F 6-7 210 Jr-Tr San Antonio, Texas (Jay HS/Temple JC)
Damon Escoffery G 6-4 200 So-Tr Brooklyn, N.Y. (Erasmus/Monterey Peninsula CC)
Jamaal Gilchrist G 6-1 175 Fr-Hs Middleburg, Va. (Notre Dame Academy)
Bernard King G 6-5 180 Fr-Hs Gibsland, La. (Coleman HS)
Jesse King F/G 6-6 185 Fr-Hs Detroit, Mich. (Pershing HS)
Larry Scott F 6-6 215 Fr-Hs St. James, Md. (St. James HS)
Andy Slocum C 6-11 235 Fr-Hs West Monroe, La. (West Monroe HS)