Watkins Hauls in Impressive Recruiting Class
Nov 12, 2003 | Men's Basketball
November 12, 2003
Miguel Ayala of Tepic, Mexico, Joseph Jones of Normangee, Texas, and Kenneth White of Dallas have signed national letters-of-intent to play college basketball at Texas A&M, Aggies coach Melvin Watkins said Wednesday.
"We think this is another strong recruiting class for us, not so much in numbers as in the quality of the players," Watkins said. "We feel like we've addressed our needs with these three guys. All three have been very well coached and will be able to make an impact on our program."
Ayala, a 6-foot-7 guard/forward, played two years ago at Riverside Community College before missing last season with a broken hand. As a freshman, he started in all 37 games, averaging 10.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and making 42.4 percent (78-of-184) from three-point range and 91.5 percent from the free throw line. He made 49.3 percent (35-of-71) of his 3-pointers in conference play, ranking second in the California junior college ranks behind current A&M teammate Kevin Turner, who played at Fullerton College.
Ayala is rated as the fifth-best JUCO wing guard in the country by Lindy's College Basketball and is listed as the fourth-best JUCO shooting guard by NBADraft.net. He was a first-team preseason all-conference pick last season before breaking his hand. Ayala also was recruited by Oregon State, UNLV and Texas-El Paso.
"Miguel is a very mentally tough player," Watkins said. "He has the ability to shoot from the perimeter but because of his height he can also play inside."
Jones, a 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward/center, is rated as the 40th best prospect in the nation by The Sporting News and is rated 48th nationally by Bob Gibbons' All-Star Report, which also tabs him as the 10th best high school center.
As a junior, Jones averaged 18.9 points, 14.7 rebounds, 4.7 blocks and 3.1 steals while making 69.9 percent from the field and leading Normangee High School to a 30-2 record. Jones was named District 26-A's most valuable player and was selected to the all-region team by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches. He also was recruited by Kansas and Houston.
"Joseph is a very good big man, which we really needed," Watkins said. "We look for him to come in and make an immediate contribution to our program as a freshman."
White, a 6-foot-2 guard, was the top class 5A scorer in the Dallas area as a junior, averaging a whopping 28.6 points per game at Molina High School. He scored more than 20 points in 22 games and had more than 30 points 16 times, including a high of 42. He is rated as the ninth-best prospect in the state by Texas Hoops.
"Kenneth is an excellent combination guard," Watkins said. "He has an unbelievable knack for putting the ball in the basket. A player with his abilities could play for a lot of people."
| 2004-05 Texas A&M Men's Basketball Early Recruiting Class | |||||
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Cl-Exp. | Hometown (Current School) |
| Miguel Ayala | G/F | 6-7 | 200 | Jr-TR | Tepic, Mexico (Fullerton [CA] College) |
| Joseph Jones | F/C | 6-9 | 250 | Fr-HS | Normangee, Texas (Normangee HS) |
| Kenneth White | G | 6-2 | Fr-HS | Dallas, Texas (Molina HS) | |
