Texas A&M to Face Boston College in First Round of Old Spice Classic
Nov 24, 2010 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 24, 2010
ORLANDO - The Texas A&M Aggies (3-0) open play in the fifth annual Old Spice Classic on Thanksgiving Day when they take on the Boston College Eagles (2-1) at the HP Field House inside ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex. Tip-off is set for 11 a.m. (CT) and the game will be televised nationally by ESPN2 and ESPN 3D.
Texas A&M AGGIES (3-0)
vs Boston College EAGLES (2-1)
Thursday, November 25, 2010 • 12:00 PM (ET) • TV: ESPN2/ESPN3D
HP Field House (5,000) • Orlando, Florida
TELEVISION:
ESPN2 HD (Bob Picozzi, play-by-play/Dan Dakich, commentary)
ESPN 3D (Lou Canellis, play-by-play/Bob Wenzel, commentary)
RADIO:
Texas A&M Sports Network (Will Johnson, play-by-play/Matt Simon, commentary)
Local: WTAW-AM 1620
Satellite Radio: Sirius 121/XM 141
Internet: radioaggieland.com
SERIES • A&M STREAK: first meeting
THE MATCHUP
TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Record: 3-0, 0-0 Big 12
Ranking: RV (ESPN/USAT)
Streak: Won 3
Last 5 / Last 10: 3-0 / 3-0
Last Game: def. A&M International (H), 77-46 (Friday)
Head Coach: Mark Turgeon (Kansas '87)
Record: 229-150 (13th year)
at Texas A&M: 76-31 (4th year)
vs. Boston College: 0-1
A&M Probable Starters
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG APG GP/Min
5 Dash Harris G 6-1 175 Jr. 2.3 2.7 3.3 3 / 25.0
10 David Loubeau F 6-8 230 Jr. 11.7 5.3 --- 3 / 18.3
11 B.J. Holmes G 5-11 175 Sr. 6.3 3.7 6.0 3 / 23.7
22 Khris Middleton F 6-7 215 So. 14.0 3.0 2.3 3 / 22.7
45 Nathan Walkup F 6-7 210 Sr. 14.7 6.0 1.7 3 / 21.3
BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES
Record: 2-1, 0-0 ACC
Ranking: NR
Streak: Won 1
Last 5 / Last 10: 2-1 / 2-1
Last Game: def. Holy Cross (H), 69-54 (Monday)
Head Coach: Steve Donahue (Ursinus '84)
Record: 148-139 (11th year)
at BC: 2-1 (first year)
vs. Texas A&M: never faced
BC Probable Starters*
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG APG GP/Min
00 Reggie Jackson G 6-3 208 Jr. 18.7 4.7 5.0 3 / 34.3
5 Biko Paris G 6-1 194 Sr. 7.3 2.3 2.7 3 / 34.3
11 Corey Raji F 6-6 218 Sr. 14.7 7.0 1.3 3 / 26.7
12 Joe Trapani F 6-8 232 Sr. 13.7 6.0 1.7 3 / 30.0
55 Cortney Dunn F 6-8 238 Sr. 2.7 3.3 0.3 3 / 14.3
* based on season statistics
OLD SPICE CLASSIC - FIRST ROUND
All games Thursday, Nov. 25 - all times Central
Game 1 - Texas A&M vs Boston College, 11 a.m. (ESPN2)
Game 2 - Wisconsin vs Manhattan, 1 p.m. (ESPN2)
Game 3 - Georgia vs Notre Dame, 6 p.m. (ESPN2)
Game 4 - Temple vs Cal, 8 p.m. (ESPN2)
UP NEXT
• The Aggies will face either Wisconsin or Manhattan in Friday's second round. With a win Thursday, A&M will play in the semifinals on Friday at 11 a.m. (CT) on ESPN. With a loss the Aggies would play on Friday at 1:30 p.m. (CT) on ESPNU. The teams are off on Saturday, with the final day of the tournament set for Sunday.
• After the tournament in Orlando, the Aggies will return home to open a four-game homestand ... A&M's opponents on the stretch combined for 88 wins last season (SFA - 23, Pacific - 23, Prairie View A&M - 16, Washington - 26).
GAME NOTES
• This weekend marks the fourth straight preseason tournament in which the Aggies have participated under Mark Turgeon ... Texas A&M is 9-2 under Turgeon in preseason tourney action.
• Last season, A&M had a strong showing at the 76 Classic in Anaheim, finishing third with wins over No. 19 Clemson (69-60) and No. 16 Minnesota (66-65) ... the Aggies' lone loss was a 7-point setback to No. 8 West Virginia (73-66).
• A&M went 3-1 in the 2008 South Padre Island Invite, defeating Jackson State, UNC Wilmington and Kent State while falling to Tulsa ... in 2007, Texas A&M won the Preseason NIT with dominating wins over Washington (77-63) and Ohio State (70-47) at Madison Square Garden.
• The Aggies have won 7 of their last 10 games away from Reed Arena dating back to early February of last season ... A&M's losses in that stretch came at No. 24 Baylor (70-66), against No. 1 Kansas in the Big 12 semifinals in Kansas City (79-66), and in overtime to No. 10 Purdue in the NCAA Second Round in Spokane (63-61).
• Texas A&M ranks 2nd in the Big 12 in scoring offense (83.7 PPG), trailing only Kansas (95.0), and second in rebounding (44.0) ... ranks 3rd in scoring defense (55.7), free-throw percentage (.721) and steals (9.67) ... and is 4th in field goal percentage (.483), free throw percentage (.739) and rebounding (42.0).
• Texas A&M has outscored its opponents 132-67 in the first half this season and has carried an average lead of 21.7 points into the locker room.
• A&M has trailed for a total of 1 minute, 26 seconds this season ... the latest in a game the Aggies have been down was at the 17:01 mark of the first half (vs Alcorn State, down 7-4).
• After being whistled for 61 fouls in the first two games, the Aggies matched a Reed Arena record by committing just 9 in Friday's win over A&M International ... Alcorn State (37) and A&M (35) combined for a school-record 72 fouls in the opener one week earlier.
ABOUT BOSTON COLLEGE (2-1)
• Boston College is 2-1 on the young season, defeating St. Francis (NY) 79-49 in the home opener, falling to Yale, 75-67, six days later and topping Holy Cross, 69-54, Monday night.
• BC is averaging 71.7 points per game and is led by junior G Reggie Jackson (18.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG) ... senior F Corey Raji (14.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG) and senior F Joe Trapani (13.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG) also are averaging double figures.
• The Eagles return four starters and nine letterwinners from a team that finished 15-16 and placed 8th in the ACC at 6-10 ... BC is in its first year under new head coach Steve Donahue, who spent the previous 10 years at Cornell and took the Big Red to the last three NCAA Tournaments ... Boston College was picked to finish 10th in the league in a preseason media vote.
SERIES NOTES
• Texas A&M and Boston College have never faced each other in basketball.
• Boston College is the only ACC team the Aggies are slated to face this year ... A&M's last ACC foe was Clemson in last year's 76 Classic in Anaheim, where the Aggies downed the Tigers, 69-60 ... Texas A&M is 8-16 all-time against ACC teams, with Clemson (6 games, 3-3) the most common opponent ... BC and Maryland are the only two ACC schools the Aggies have never played in basketball.
• Texas A&M is the only Big 12 team on Boston College's schedule this season ... BC's last matchup with a Big 12 team was in January of 2008, when Kansas posted an 85-60 win in Chestnut Hill.
SIDEBARS
• Aggie junior David Loubeau will celebrate his 21st birthday on Thursday when A&M faces Boston College ... Loubeau is a native of Miami and attended Westlake Prep, the lone Floridian on the Aggie roster.
• Texas A&M junior Dash Harris hails from Los Angeles but prepped at Montverde Academy in Montverde, an Orlando suburb about 20 miles from the HP Field House.
• Aggie Associate Head Coach Scott Spinelli (spuh-NELL-ee) is a native of Leominster, Massachusetts ... he earned his degree from Boston University in 1989, playing point guard for then head coach Mike Jarvis.
• Two Boston College players have ties to the Lone Star State ... senior F Cortney Dunn is a Dallas native who prepped at Lake Highlands High School ... senior G Biko Paris attended high school outside Houston at Cypress Christian School.
LAST TIME OUT: Texas A&M 76, Texas A&M International 44
COLLEGE STATION (Nov. 19)--Junior David Loubeau tallied his first career double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds to lead Texas A&M to a 77-46 victory over Texas A&M-International before 7,741 fans at Reed Arena. The Aggies (3-0) have defeated their first three opponents, Alcorn State, Texas A&M-Corpus-Christi and now TAMIU, by a combined 84 points. A&M nearly doubled up the Dustdevils (0-4) in the first half, leading 39-20 at the break on the strength of Loubeau's 12 points and eight rebounds in the first 20 minutes. Overall, the Aggies outrebounded the Dustdevils 48-23 and outpaced TAMIU 23-7 in points off turnovers. Loubeau hit double figures just four and a half minutes into the game and scored eight of the points on A&M's 11-2 run to open the game. The Aggies had three others in double figures for the third consecutive game, as Khris Middleton added 14, Nathan Walkup 13 and Naji Hibbert 12. Evan Matteson led TAMIU with 12 points.
Texas A&M Head Coach Mark Turgeon: "It was a good win for us. No matter how much we built up A&M International, I'm not sure if our guys took it serious or not. For the most part, I think our guys competed and tried to do the right thing. They really grinded their offense, ran their motion, it was a good test for us. At times, we showed flashes, like in the first 10 minutes of the second half. It was a good win for us. David (Loubeau) was good, he got started early. Guys trust him, they throw him the ball, he had 14 shots, which was good. Wish he would have got foul line a little more. But in 21 minutes, those are pretty good numbers. We really talked about getting to the offensive boards. We missed open shots, but I know we're going to make them, we have a lot of good shooters. I know it wasn't a terrible number for our percentage, but we're going to shoot it better. We can really pass. We weren't very crisp on offense. Our secondary break wasn't very good, but when our possessions were good, we were really good. We have a bunch of guys that can pass the ball. A lot of those buckets were second chance points, but 17 assists with 30 buckets is good."
POSTGAME NOTES: A&M INTERNATIONAL
• David Loubeau registered his first-ever double-double with a 18-point, 12-rebound effort, the first career double-double for any current A&M player ... Loubeau's 12 rebounds were a career high and his 18 points were two shy of his career best.
• Naji Hibbert matched a career high with 12 points and has scored in double figures all three games of the season.
• BJ Holmes matched a career high with 7 assists, a mark he set in the previous game at A&M-Corpus Christi.
• A&M's nine team fouls matched a Reed Arena record for fewest by a team in a game
• The Aggies out-rebounded TAMIU by 25, matching the arena record for rebounding margin
• B.J. Holmes played in the 100th game of his career
• Texas A&M won its 66th straight non-conference regular-season home game and 53rd consecutive non-conference home game overall.
TEAM NOTES
Who's Back?
• Texas A&M returns 10 of 16 letterwinners from last season, including three starters. Returning starters are juniors B.J. Holmes. Sophomores Naji Hibbert (all 34 games) and Ray Turner (20) also saw significant action last season.
• A&M lost three seniors, members of the winningest class in school history--Donald Sloan, Bryan Davis and Derrick Roland (all to graduation).
• Six of the Aggies' top nine scorers in 2009-10 were non-seniors.
• A&M's 2009-10 senior class won 100 games (100-38, .725), surpassing the '08-09 class (98-37, .726) as the winningest in school history. The class is the third straight to break the record. Before this run, the record was 85 wins by the 1982 seniors.
Who's New?
• The Aggies bring in a strong group of newcomers, including three freshmen-Daniel Alexander (Dripping Springs), Keith Davis (DeSoto) and Kourtney Roberson (Arcadia, La.).
• Junior Elston Turner (Missouri City/University of Washington) is not eligible to play this season due to NCAA transfer rules.
Tobi Oyedeji (1992-2010)
• Tobi Oyedeji (pronounced O-yuh-day-jee), a member of the incoming Class of '14, was lost tragically following a car accident in Houston on May 16, 2010.
• A memorial scholarship has been set up in Tobi's honor and he has a locker inside the Aggies' Reed Arena locker room.
• His good friend, Ray Turner, has switched jerseys to No. 35, Tobi's number, for this season.
• The team will wear a memorial patch with Tobi's last name emblazoned on it on the right shoulder of the jersey.
Roster Notes
• The 17 players on the 2010-11 roster hail from seven different states--11 from Texas and one each from California, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, Oklahoma and South Carolina.
• Over half of the roster is upperclassmen (5 seniors, 4 juniors).
• None of the three returning starters are seniors (2 juniors, 1 sophomore).
Looking for Six
• A&M has made five straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Prior to this streak, A&M had never played in consecutive NCAA Tournaments and had not been to the NCAAs since 1987. Five of A&M's 11 NCAA appearances, and 6 of its 9 NCAA wins, have come since 2006.
• A&M is one of just 12 schools that have made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last five seasons.
• A&M and Pittsburgh are the only schools in the country to win an NCAA tournament game in each of the last five years.
• A&M is one of just three schools to have won a postseason game in each of the last six years (5 NCAAs/1 NIT, joining North Carolina (5 NCAAs/1 NIT) and Memphis (4 NCAAs/2 NITs).
• A&M has posted six straight 20-win seasons. Before the 2004-05 season, A&M had only six 20-win seasons in its history.
• Texas A&M went 24-10 last season, tying for second in the Big 12 with an 11-5 mark. A&M earned the No. 5 seed in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament, falling in overtime to No. 4-seed Purdue, 63-61, in the second round in Spokane, Washington.
• A&M is 146-56 (.723) in the last six-plus years and 103-38 (.730) in the last four-plus.
• A&M, Kansas and Texas are the only Big 12 schools that have won at least 20 games in each of the last six seasons.
NBA Aggies
• An Aggie has been chosen in four of the last six NBA Drafts. Chinemelu Elonu was the last to go, in 2009 (second round to Los Angeles Lakers). The others were Antoine Wright in 2005 (first round to the New Jersey Nets), Acie Law IV in 2007 (first round to the Atlanta Hawks), and DeAndre Jordan in 2008 (second round to the Los Angeles Clippers).
• Prior to Wright's selection in 2005, A&M had not had a player drafted since Winston Crite in 1987.
• There are three Aggies currently playing in the NBA: Antoine Wright (Sacramento Kings), Acie Law IV (Memphis Grizzlies) and DeAndre Jordan (Los Angeles Clippers). Prior to 2007, A&M never had more than one active NBA player.
Schedule Notes
• With another strong schedule on the slate, 11 of A&M's possible opponents advanced to the NCAA Tourney in 2010. Baylor and Kansas State made the Elite 8; Washington the Sweet 16; Kansas, Missouri, Wisconsin and Cal the Second Round; and Texas, Oklahoma State, Notre Dame and Temple the First Round.
• A&M will host Pac-10 power Washington in the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series on Dec. 11 at Reed Arena. The Aggies advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament while the Huskies made the Sweet 16.
• A&M will renew an old rivalry when the Aggies face Arkansas in The Showcase college basketball doubleheader on Dec. 18 at American Airlines Center in Dallas. It will be the first meeting between the longtime Southwest Conference foes since 1991.
• Texas A&M will make its final Big 12 basketball road trips to Lincoln and Boulder this spring, with the departure of Nebraska and Colorado to the Big Ten and Pac-10, respectively. The league will go to an 18-game, round-robin format for the 2011-12 season.
Reed Arena: Home, Sweet Home
• The Aggies have won 53 straight non-conference home games, including wins against Arizona, Alabama and LSU. The last loss was to St. Joseph's (58-51) in the 2005 NIT quarterfinals. A&M has won 66 straight regular-season non-conference home games since 2003. A&M is 85-9 all-time in non-conference games at Reed (.904).
• A&M has won 20 of its last 21 home games, including 10 of its last 11 in Big 12 play. The Aggies are 33-3 at home in the last two-plus seasons with a 13-3 mark in conference games.
• A&M has won 74 of its last 81 home games, including 29 of its last 36 in Big 12 play.
• The Aggies are 67-6 (.918) at home the last four-plus seasons and are 99-12 (.892) in the last six-plus years.
• The Aggies are the only Big 12 team to win at least 15 home games for the last six consecutive seasons.
• A&M is 141-53 (.727) in its 13th season at Reed Arena. The Aggies were 41-41 (.500) the first six years at Reed.
• Texas A&M broke its home attendance record three times in 2010, including the current mark of 13,717 vs. Texas (Feb. 27). A&M sold out four games, topping the 13,000 mark in each game. The Aggies' season average of 9,889 ranked second on the school chart behind the record of 10,343 set in Turgeon's first season in 2007-08. A&M has posted its top five single game marks, and two of the top three season averages, under Turgeon.
• The top 18 single-game attendance marks in A&M history have been set in the last five-plus years. The top 14 non-conference attendance marks also have been set in the last five-plus seasons.
• A&M has won 19 straight home games against unranked opponents (eight straight in Big 12 play). Under Turgeon, the Aggies are 42-3 against unranked opponents at Reed Arena, including a 12-3 mark against unranked Big 12 teams.
Head Coach Mark Turgeon
• Turgeon is the only coach in school history to lead the Aggies to three straight NCAA Tournaments.
• The only coaches with more wins than Mark Turgeon (73) in their first three years at a Big 12 school are his mentors at Kansas, Larry Brown (83 in 1983-86) and Roy Williams (76 in 1988-91). Ironically, Turgeon was a point guard for those teams under Brown and was an assistant coach in Williams' first three seasons with the Jayhawks.
• Turgeon was named 2010 Big 12 Coach of the Year by The Dallas Morning News, San Antonio Express-News and Columbia (Mo.) Tribune.
• Turgeon is the only coach in Big 12 history to win 24 or more games in each of his first three seasons.
• Turgeon's 73 wins at A&M were the most ever by an A&M coach in a three-year period. The previous mark was 70 wins by Billy Gillispie (2004-07).
• Turgeon has led the Aggies to three straight 20-win seasons, including three of the top six victory totals in the school's 98-year basketball history.
• Turgeon is the only coach in school history to win 23 or more games three times.
• Turgeon's 25 wins in 2007-08 tied for the most by a first-year coach in the history of any Big 12 school and were an A&M record for a coach in his debut. Tom Penders went 25-9 in his first year at Texas in 1988-89 prior to the formation of the Big 12.
• Turgeon has led his teams to at least 20 wins in six of the last seven seasons (his Wichita State team won 17 games in 2006-07). His teams have advanced to postseason play seven times in the last eight years. Turgeon's record in the last seven years is 159-75 (.680).
• Turgeon has led his teams to four NCAA Tournaments in the last five years, winning at least one NCAA game in each appearance.
• As a player, assistant coach and head coach, Turgeon has compiled a 26-12 NCAA Tournament record (8-4 as a player, 13-4 as an assistant, 5-4 as a head coach). Turgeon is the only active Big 12 head coach to play and coach in an NCAA Final Four.
• In 13 NCAA Tournament appearances as a player, assistant coach and head coach, Turgeon has lost a first-round NCAA game just once (Oregon in 1995 under Coach Jerry Green).
OFFENSE NOTES
Fast-Paced Offense
• Texas A&M has outscored its opponents 132-67 in the first half this season and has carried an average lead of 21.7 points into the locker room.
• Texas A&M is 32-2 under Mark Turgeon when scoring at least eight fast-break points (2-0 this year).
• The Aggies are 23-3 under Turgeon when scoring at least 80 points and 50-5 when scoring at least 70. A&M has scored 77 or more in all three games this year.
• A&M is 62-11 under Turgeon when leading at halftime.
In the Lead
• A&M has trailed for a total of 1 minute, 26 seconds this season ... the latest in a game the Aggies have been down was at the 17:01 mark of the first half (vs Alcorn State, down 7-4).
Make Shots, Win Games
• A&M has shot 45 percent or better in all three wins this year ... the Aggies are 53-6 under Turgeon when hitting better than 45 percent from the field and a perfect 31-0 (1-0 this season) when hitting at 50 percent or higher.
Protecting the Ball
• After a 20-turnover game in the opener, the Aggies have done a great job of holding on to the ball ... A&M has committed just 12 and 10 turnovers, respectively, in its last two games
• A&M is 52-14 all-time under Turgeon when committing fewer than 14 turnovers.
Strong Down Low
• The Aggies' big men down low have been very productive in the early part of the year ... David Loubeau (6.0) and Kourtney Roberson (6.0) lead the team in rebounding and rank third (11.7) and fifth (9.7), respectively, in points per game.
• Texas A&M has scored at least 40 points in the paint in each of the last two games ... A&M did so just once last year, in wins over Texas Tech and at Missouri ... this season, the Aggies are averaging 38.7 points down low (28.6 average in 2009-10).
• Under Turgeon, A&M is 73-23 when scoring at least 20 points in the paint (3-0 this year).
Take Another Chance
• The Aggies are averaging 20.7 second-chance points through three games ... A&M only went over 20 in that category one time last year (home vs Texas) but has already done so twice this season.
From Way Downtown
• Texas A&M has hit at least one 3-pointer in 305 consecutive games ... the last time the Aggies did not connect from behind the arc was at Colorado on January 13, 2001 (0-for-6).
Balancing Act
• The loss of A&M's top three scorers from last year (Bryan Davis) appeared to be a challenge that would have to be met by a "team" effort, and so far that's been the case ... the Aggies have four players averaging in double figures through the first three games of 2010-11 in Nathan Walkup (14.7), Khris Middleton (14.0), David Loubeau (11.7) and Naji Hibbert (11.3).
• Hibbert and Middleton are the only two Aggies to hit double figures in all three games ... Hibbert, a sophomore, had just one double-figure game to his name entering this season.
• Texas A&M has seen a total of four players reach double figures in every game so far ... 6 players have combined for a total of 12 double-figure outings thus far (Middleton 3, Hibbert 3, Walkup 2, Roberson 2, Holmes 1, Loubeau 1).
DEFENSE NOTES
Rebounding
• Texas A&M has out-rebounded its opponents by an average of 44-29 this season ... the Aggies are 67-12 under Turgeon when matching or out-rebounding their foes ... A&M is just 8-17 under Turgeon when being out-rebounded.
• Texas A&M has out-rebounded two teams this year by 20 or more boards ... the Aggies beat Alcorn State on the glass by 20 and A&M International by 25 ... A&M did not out-rebound anyone last season by more than 18.
• Six players are averaging between 3.7 and 6.0 rebounds per game ... it's very early, but by comparison just three did so last season--Bryan Davis (8.1), David Loubeau (4.7) and Khris Middleton (3.7).
Forcing Turnovers
• Texas A&M's quick defense has already paid big dividends in the early part of the season ... the Aggies have put up two of the highest P.O.T. totals in the Mark Turgeon era in the first three games ... A&M scored 31 points off turnovers in the win at A&M-Corpus Christi, the second-highest output in the Mark Turgeon era ... the Aggies scored 34 off turnovers last season against North Dakota ... A&M also had 28 points off turnovers in the season opener against Alcorn State, matching the total in the 2007-08 opener against McNeese State (28), Turgeon's first game as head coach.
• Texas A&M is averaging 27.3 points off turnovers per game.
• Under Turgeon, the Aggies are 49-9 when they have more points off turnovers than their opponent.
• Texas A&M's 16 steals in the win at A&M-Corpus Christi were the most by an Aggie team in the Mark Turgeon era and the most since a win over Grambling State in December 2006.
Stout "D"
• A&M has held two of its three opponents under 36 percent shooting from the field ... under Turgeon, the Aggies are 42-4 when their opponent shoots under 40 percent and are 69-19 when they make under 50 percent.
• Texas A&M is 65-11 under Turgeon when opponents score under 70 points.
2010-11 SIGNING CLASS
COLLEGE STATION (11/10/10)--Jamal Branch and Jordan Green signed national letters-of-intent to play college basketball at Texas A&M, the school announced. "We are excited about our 2011 class so far," Aggie coach Mark 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."
• JAMAL BRANCH (G, 6-3, 170, Arlington/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.
