Watkins Inks Italian Big Man to Complete Class
Jul 14, 1999 | Men's Basketball
July 14, 1999
Tomas Ress of Hileah, Fla., has signed a national letter-of-intent to play college basketball at Texas A&M, Aggies coach Melvin Watkins said Wednesday.
A native of Italy, Ress is the ninth player to sign with the Aggies this year and completes one of the top recruiting classes in school history. Prior to the signing of Ress, Bob Gibbons' All-Star Sports Report ranked A&M's class as the 14th best nationally.
A 6-10, 230-pound forward, Ress played high school basketball at Hileah Champagnat High School near Miami, where he averaged 12.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game as a senior, leading the team to the state championship game.
A current member of the 1999 Italian Junior National Team, Ress also was a member of the 1998 team, averaging 6.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game. Ress has played in more than 30 international games.
"We are very impressed with Tomas, not only as a player but as a young man," Watkins said. "He has the ability to develop into a solid big man in the Big 12 Conference. We think he has a really bright future at Texas A&M and along with the other players in our class, gives our program a chance to move forward."
This spring, A&M has also signed 6-8 forward Keith Bean (a transfer from North Carolina State), 6-11 center Andy Slocum of West Monroe, La., 6-6 forward Larry Scott of St. James, Md., 6-4 guard Damon Escoffery of Brooklyn, N.Y., 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)
Tomas Ress F 6-10 230 Fr-Hs Hileah, Fla. (Champagnat HS)
Larry Scott F 6-6 215 Fr-HS St. James, Md. (High)
Andy Slocum C 6-11 235 Fr-Hs West Monroe, La. (West Monroe HS)
