November 09, 2005
Four of the top high school basketball players in Texas have signed national letters of intent to play at Texas A&M next season, head coach Billy Gillispie said Wednesday.
Seagoville's Derrick Roland and Donald Sloan, Pflugerville's Bryan Beasley and Plano's Joseph Fulce will join the Aggies next fall.
"We couldn't be happier about this class and what it means for the future of this basketball program," Gillispie said. "This is a major step in the right direction for us and we hope we're not finished yet."
Roland (6-5, 185) averaged 19.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists last season at Seagoville High School is ranked the third best prospect in Texas by Texas Roundball. Rivals.com rates him as the No. 81 recruit nationally. He also was recruited by Arizona State and UNLV, among others.
"Derrick can play a couple of positions," Gillispie said. "He has the ability to be a great shooter and is a very athletic guy who can be a great defender. He can be a shut-down defender on the wing. As he gets stronger, he'll be a hard guy for other teams to deal with in the backcourt."
Sloan (6-3, 175) averaged 18.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists last season and is rated as the No. 5 prospect in the state by Texas Roundball and Texas Hoops. Sloan is ranked No. 60 nationally by Hoop Scoop. He also was recruited by Florida, Baylor, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, SMU and Tulsa.
"Donald can be a difference maker," Gillispie said. "He has all the intangibles you want and just lights up a room when he walks into it. He's as good an athlete as there is in the country as his position."
Beasley (5-11, 170) averaged 18.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game last season at Pflugerville High School and is ranked as the state's top point guard by Rivals.com. Beasley is rated No. 9 overall in the state by Texas Hoops and is ranked No. 130 nationally by Hoop Scoop. He also was recruited by Stanford, Vanderbilt, Georgetown, New Mexico, North Carolina State and Texas.
"Bryan is a highly versatile player and an unbelievable student," Gillispie said. "He's a really good athlete who understands how to play and make everyone else better. He's a great leader who can really help you win games."
Fulce (6-6, 180) averaged 16.8 points and 7.7 rebounds last season at Plano High School and is rated as the 28th best prospect in the state by Texas Hoops. He also was recruited by Colorado, Pepperdine, SMU and San Diego State.
"Joseph is extremely long and he's still growing," Gillispie said. "He's a really good perimeter shooter for his size. He's very tall with really good skills and I think he'll be a very good player for us down the road."