November 09, 2006
B.J. Holmes of Houston and Nathan Walkup of Deer Park on Thursday joined Texas A&M's 2007 men's basketball recruiting class, which is rated among the best in the nation for the third straight year.
 B.J. Holmes  Nathan Walkup photos from rivals.com |
Houston's DeAndre Jordan and Tulsa's Derrek Lewis signed on Wednesday. Jordan is the state's top-ranked player and is rated No. 8 nationally by Rivals.com, while Lewis is regarded as one of the top five players in Oklahoma.
"You try to bring in at least one impact player with each class and we have possibly brought in several in this class," A&M Coach Billy Gillispie said. "We like all four of the guys we signed. As a group, they continue to build our roster the way we want it. These recruits fill particular needs and are very capable players at their positions."
Hoops Scoop rates A&M's 2007 signing class as the 14th-best nationally, Coach Billy Gillispie's third straight top-20 class. Hoop Scoop ranked Gillispie's 2005 class ninth and the 2006 class 17th. The three signees from Texas are each ranked among the top eight players in the state by Texas Hoops.
"This is another banner class for Coach Gillispie and Texas A&M," said Mike Kunstadt of Texas Hoops. "It's an outstanding group."
"This class as a whole is very well-rounded," said Dave Telep of Scout.com "Coach Gillispie has had a consistent build-up of talent coming into his program and this class is the next chapter."
Holmes (5-10, 160 is rated as the 50th best prospect in the country by Hoop Scoop and the eighth-best in the state. An all-state and All-Greater Houston pick as a junior at Houston Hastings High School, he averaged 17.2 points, 7.8 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 2.5 steals. Holmes earned district most valuable player honors as a sophomore and junior. He also was recruited by Illinois, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Texas, Georgetown, Charlotte and Miami (Fla.).
"B.J. is a premier, true point guard and those guys are few and far between," Gillispie said. "He's played on winning teams his entire life. He plays bigger than his size and is a tremendous competitor."
"B.J. plays a lot tougher than his listed size," Telep said. "He's a ball player and his personality matches up well with Billy Gillispie's personality."
"B.J. Is very quick and is a good ball-handler, scorer and penetrator," Kunstadt added. "He also is a good on-ball man defender and is very athletic. He's a true point guard and is a really nice addition to the A&M program."
Walkup (6-6, 185 lbs.) is rated as the seventh-best prospect in Texas, and the best small forward by Rivals.com. He earned all-region honors as a junior after averaging 21.2 points and 9.9 rebounds at Deer Park High School near Houston. In district play, Walkup averaged a double-double with 22.3 points and 10.8 rebounds per contest and was named the district's most valuable player.
Walkup excelled last summer in AAU basketball as a member of Houston Hoopstars. He also was recruited by LSU, Texas, Memphis, Stanford, Rice and Miami (Fla.).
"Nathan may be the best 'sleeper' in the entire country," Gillispie said. "He doesn't get one-tenth of the attention he deserves, but everyone that has seen him play loves him. He has a chance to be a great player."
"Nathan is a Chris Walker clone, except he's much more athletic," said Kunstadt, comparing Walkup to the former A&M standout. "He's a blue-collar guy who does all the dirty work. He's very skilled, can hit the three-pointer and hustles and plays hard all the time."
2006-07 MEN'S BASKETBALL SIGNEES (4)
| Name | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | Hometown (Current School) |
| B.J. Holmes | 5-10 | 160 | Fr. | Houston, Texas (Hastings) |
| DeAndre Jordan | 7-0 | 240 | Fr. | Houston, Texas (Christian Life Center) |
| Derrek Lewis | 6-3 | 190 | Fr. | Tulsa, Okla. (Union) |
| Nathan Walkup | 6-6 | 185 | Fr. | Deer Park, Texas (Deer Park) |