Aggie Basketball Inks Two Texas High School Standouts
Nov 10, 2010 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 10, 2010
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Jamal Branch and Jordan Green have signed national letters-of-intent to play college basketball at Texas A&M, Aggie head coach Mark Turgeon announced Wednesday.
"We are excited about our 2011 class so far," Turgeon said. "We feel like we have added two quality, high-character young men that will fill needs for our program. Jordan and Jamal will fit in great with what we have coming back next year, plus Jamal and Jordan will complement each other throughout their careers."
Branch (Arlington) and Green (Flower Mound) are highly-rated guards out of the Dallas area and will join the A&M program for the 2011-12 season.
"These two guys play well off each other, Jamal being the facilitator and Jordan being the drop-the-hammer, go get buckets kind of guy," said Dave Telep, ESPN.com's college basketball recruiting analyst. "I think these guys together should be the backcourt of the future for Texas A&M."
2010-11 TEXAS A&M SIGNEES (2)
Men's Basketball |
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| Name | Position | Height | Weight | Class | Hometown (Current School) |
| Jamal Branch | Guard | 6-3 | 170 | Freshman | Arlington, Texas (Grace Preparatory Academy) |
| Jordan Green | Guard | 6-4 | 180 | Freshman | Flower Mound, Texas (Flower Mound HS) |
Jamal Branch
6-3 * 170 * Fr. * Guard
Arlington, Texas (Grace Preparatory Academy)
A consensus four-star prospect ... a 6-3, 170-pound point guard who plays at Grace Preparatory Academy in Arlington, Texas ... named the best defender in the Class of 2011 by scout.com and ranked No. 47 nationally ... rated the No. 8 point guard in the country and No. 53 overall by ESPN.com ... a member of the ESPNU 100 ... grades at 94 out of 100 by ESPN.com ... the No. 5 prospect in Texas and No. 67 nationally by rivals.com ... is the No. 2 player on the Maroon and White Report's Hoops Hot List for 2011 ... chose Texas A&M over Texas, Kansas and UCLA.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING...
A&M HEAD COACH MARK TURGEON: "Jamal is a terrific young man that we targeted from day one when we came to Texas A&M. Jamal is a very intelligent young man it shows in the classroom and on the floor. He is a tremendous facilitator that has great vision and a willingness to pass and make people around him better. He also has the ability to score the basketball in a variety of ways. I feel he is one of the best on-ball defenders in the country. His ability to pressure the ball will make us better from day one."
JAMAL BRANCH: "The opportunity to play at the next level, college basketball, is truly a blessing. I've just been working hard to get here. I love how well I get along with the coaches and players. I talk to them quite a bit. I just love Texas A&M. In going down there, academics were a huge factor in my decision. I want to study architectural engineering, and that's one of the top majors at Texas A&M."
JEROME BRANCH, FATHER: "I am extremely excited about it. It's been a long time coming for me. He made this decision as a freshman and we've just been anxiously waiting for signing day to hurry up (and get here) and to get him up to A&M. A&M is a good school. We love all the things they've done with Reed Arena in the past few years. We love the entire coaching staff at A&M. Coach Turgeon has got a really good staff there. We just feel like family. Through the three-year process we got to get real close to the staff and all the people up there at A&M, and we're comfortable knowing Jamal will be okay when he goes to school. That's refreshing to know. We are excited about it being one of the best academic programs in the nation. You can't help but be pleased with that as well. As a family we're just excited and we've been anticipating this day for a very long time. And it's finally here. We're extremely excited about it."
RAY FORSETT, GRACE PREPATORY ACADEMY HEAD COACH: "Jamal is an ultra-talented point guard. He can do it all. He can make plays for everyone and can shoot a bit. He will only get better each day. He brings a `wow' factor to the gym. He makes special plays and makes things happen. All he talks about is A&M. We are very happy for him. We know he'll go there and be successful for Coach Turgeon and all those guys."
TEXASHOOPS.COM: "Jamal is a silky-smooth point guard with a complete feel and understanding of the game. He plays under control at all times, has a great change of pace/change of direction dribble to create separation and get into the paint and sees the whole floor. He has a soft stroke out to the 3-point line, can create his shot or get into the paint and dish to the open man. He is a very savvy player who knows when to go hard and when to slow it down and has a calming influence on his teammates."
EVAN DANIELS, NATIONAL RECRUITING ANALYST, SCOUT.COM: "Jamal Branch is a terrific pick up for Mark Turgeon and Texas A&M. His passing ability is impressive and he's a guy that knows how to lead a team. At the high school level, he's proven he's one of the top lead guards nationally. Because of his ability to run a program, attack the basket and get teammates involved I expect big things out of him at Texas A&M."
ERIC BOSSI, NATIONAL BASKETBALL ANALYST, RIVALS.COM: "Jamal Branch is one of the top point guards in the country and brings a lot of versatility to the floor. He has tremendous size for the position which means he can also play shooting guard. Branch is a good decision maker and has the tools to be a high level defender at the point or shooting guard position."
BRIAN SNOW, SCOUT.COM: "A premium in college basketball is placed on stopping penetration from the perimeter into the lane, and no one does it better in this class than Branch. He has complete lockdown capabilities on the outside, and takes pride in shutting his man down."
Jordan Green
6-4 * 180 * Fr. * Guard
Flower Mound, Texas (Flower Mound HS)
A 6-4, 180-pound shooting guard from Flower Mound High School in Flower Mound, Texas ... rated among the top shooting guards in the class by both ESPN.com and Scout.com ... ranked 12th overall in Texas by rivals.com and 114th nationally ... rated fourth on the Maroon and White Report's Hoops Hot List for 2011 ... is the first player in his school's history to sign a Division I basketball scholarship straight out of high school ... chose Texas A&M over Marquette, Oklahoma State, UNLV and Utah.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING...
A&M HEAD COACH MARK TURGEON: "Jordan is a great young man with high character. I fell in love with him as a player because of his skill set and his tremendous upside. He has improved a lot since his commitment, but he will have great growth when he's here at Texas A&M. He will be a well-rounded player that can score, pass and defend. He will be fun to coach."
JORDAN GREEN: "I'm really excited. I'm really grateful that they looked upon me to be one of the players up there. I feel like it's an honor they wanted me to play on their team. My dream has always been to play college basketball. I didn't know where that would be until I stepped on the A&M campus. I fell in love. It's the only college I visited and the only one I'm interested in. I can't wait to put on that jersey. I'm really excited."
JORDAN GREEN (on what drew him to A&M): "Definitely the whole package. When I started the recruiting process I didn't make a list of what I was looking for, but I kind of had an idea in my head. My first visit (to A&M) really appealed to me. I just felt at home. When you feel at home you know you won't go anywhere else. The coaching staff stood out, they will push you every day. They are guys that will lead you to win games and get you better and hopefully lead you to the next level. The campus felt like it was a real down to business atmosphere. I just wanted to get in, get my degree and focus on basketball and academics. I really just liked the atmosphere, It's real laid-back. (I) Definitely also (was drawn by) the players I will be playing with. To play with players that can really shine and compete with anyone in the nation (is exciting)."
CLIFF GREEN, FATHER: "We are really excited. This is a dream come true for Jordan. It's something our family has always wanted, for him to have an opportunity like this. The folks at A&M and Coach Turgeon and his whole staff have been fantastic. They've made him feel, and all of us feel, part of the Aggie family. It's just exciting times. It's wonderful for our whole family here. We're really just so proud of Jordan going to the next chapter in his life. It's really great to see him have an opportunity like this. He's the first in our immediate family to play at a Division I school. It's really just a dream come true to see him have this opportunity to go to Texas A&M and play for the Aggies in the maroon and white. There's so many things we've had the chance to think about these last few days, and it's just a blessing for our family to have something like this happen. We're just really excited. To see him where people want to support him...the folks up at A&M and the Aggie nation and the Aggie family have been wonderful. It's a great place for Jordan and for our family. It's just a dream come true. We always prayed that Jordan would be blessed to go to an outstanding university with strong academics, and play for one of the best coaches, and best basketball programs in the country. Texas A&M has everything Jordan dreamed of. Coach Turgeon, his staff, and the Aggie nation have been first-class throughout the recruiting process. We are very excited to join the Fightin' Texas A&M University family today!"
CHARLES FREET, FLOWER MOUND HEAD COACH: "We are so excited for Jordan. We're going to celebrate the signing with him and everyone in our basketball JV and varsity classes will be there. He's been an integral part of our program for four years. He's made great strides as a basketball player and has made our teams much better through his example of hard work and leadership. He has improved greatly every year but he's going to be the type of player that when he gets to the next level, he's just going to continue to get better. His best years of basketball are ahead of him. He's excited about A&M and we're really excited for him."
ERIC BOSSI, NATIONAL BASKETBALL ANALYST, RIVALS.COM: "Jordan Green is a smooth jump shooter with size, length and athleticism. He's become most known for his ability to shoot the three pointer, but he's also got a pretty well developed mid-range game and can get to the rim. With added strength, he's one of those guys who could blossom in college."
DAVE TELEP, ESPN.COM: "Jordan is a guy that is flying more under the radar. He has a natural, smooth way about him as a perimeter scorer. The key thing here is Jordan is playing his best ball at the end of his high school career. It's not about the hype or the expectations, he's starting to round his game out. He's going to leave high school in an upswing heading to A&M."
TEXASHOOPS.COM: "Jordan is a long and wiry guard with the ability to slash to the rim and finish strong in traffic. He elevates quickly in the paint, has a soft touch on floaters and has excellent body control to stay out of trouble as he slices to the rim. He has a smooth stroke out to the three-point line, is a very good passer, sees the floor well in transition and has a good feel for the game. His length makes him a good defender who can get his hands on loose balls and deflect passes."
