COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Alex Caruso and J'Mychal Reese, two of the top players in both Texas and the country, have signed national letters-of-intent to play college basketball at Texas A&M, the school announced Wednesday.
The backcourt stars are both consensus national top 100 recruits and make up one of the country's top hauls. The Aggies' Class of 2012 is ranked 19th nationally by rivals.com and in the top 25 by several other prominent recruiting services.
“I am so excited to announce our two signees to our Texas A&M Aggie basketball family,” head coach Billy Kennedy said. “Alex and J-Mychal are quality students, have great character, and are proven winners. They fit the type of profile that we will continue to recruit for many years to come here at Texas A&M. I am so thrilled that they are both excited to be Aggies!”
Caruso (College Station) and Reese (Bryan) have grown up watching the Aggie program rise to one of the country's elite, each living just a few miles away from Reed Arena. They will join the A&M basketball family for the 2012-13 season.
“I thought the A&M coaching staff did a great job locking up Reese and Caruso,” said Evan Daniels, national basketball recruiting analyst for scout.com. “These are two guys they had to get. Both are local kids and talented enough to make a difference early in their careers. I like how shifty and quick Reese is. The southpaw can attack, create, and shoot it at a good clip. Caruso is a guy that broke out late in his high school career, but he has good size on the wing, is an all-around improved athlete and plays the game the right way.”
| Alex Caruso | SG | 6-4 | 180 | College Station, Texas | A&M Consolidated | |||||
|
Site | Stars | National Rank | National SG Rank | |
| ESPN.com | 4 | 84th | 15th | ||
| Rivals.com | 4 | 67th | 9th | ||
| Scout.com | 4 | 75th | 15th | ||
| Chose Texas A&M Over: | |||||
| Colorado, Nebraska, Texas Tech, Arizona State, Creighton, Georgia Tech | |||||
| What They're Saying: | |||||
| "One of the more versatile wings in the 2012 class, Caruso impacts the game with his passing, shooting and penetrating. As a shooter Caruso is best from midrange but can also hit the open three, however his biggest weapon on offense is his vision, as he does a very good job of seeing the floor and finding open teammates. A deceptively athletic wing, Caruso can really attack the rim. The strength he'll gain in college will really help his game." - Scout.com "Caruso might be the last guy you look at during warm ups, but his game will immediately grab your attention." - ESPN.com |
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| Highlights | |||||
Alex Caruso
6-5 * 180 * Fr. * Guard
College Station, Texas (A&M Consolidated HS)
A consensus four-star prospect and top-100 national recruit … one of the country's top shooting guards … ranked as the No. 3 shooting guard in the state of Texas and No. 15 nationally by ESPN.com … ranked 10th in Texas and 84th overall in the entire class of 2012 by ESPN.com … a 6-5, 180-pound shooting guard who is a three-year starter entering his senior season at A&M Consolidated High School in College Station … a first-team all-district selection as a junior, averaged 16.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.7 blocks to lead the Tigers to the state playoffs … was an all-district pick as a sophomore (2010), helping take Consol to the playoffs … grew up around the A&M program, spending many seasons as a ball boy for the Aggies … father, Mike, played for and coached under Eddie Sutton and is currently an associate athletic director at Texas A&M … plays AAU ball for the Texas Ambassadors … chose A&M over Colorado, Arizona State, Georgetown, Creighton, Nebraska and Oregon, among others … son of Mike and Jackie Caruso of College Station … has two sisters, Emily and Megan.
Caruso in the Rankings
- ESPNU 100 recruit
- four-star prospect (ESPN.com, rivals.com, scout.com)
- No. 3 shooting guard in Texas (ESPN.com)
- No. 10 overall in Texas in Class of 2012 (ESPN.com)
- No. 9 shooting guard nationally (scout.com)
- No. 15 shooting guard nationally (ESPN.com, scout.com)
- national rankings, full class of 2012: No. 67 (rivals.com), No. 75 (scout.com), No. 84 (ESPN.com)
TEXAS A&M HEAD COACH BILLY KENNEDY: “Alex brings tremendous athleticism and versatility to our team on the perimeter. His skill level and size allow him to play all three perimeter positions. He's a good athlete who has a great feel for the game.”
DAVE TELEP, ESPN.COM NATIONAL RECRUITING ANALYST: “Even if Caruso's father hadn't been in the Aggies' athletic department, to me this is a kid Billy Kennedy would have gone great lengths to recruit. He's a rugged competitor who holds himself to a high standard, can handle, pass and finish. His ascension in June turned out to be one of the feel-good stories of the summer.”
| J'Mychal Reese | PG | 6-2 | 170 | Bryan, Texas | Bryan High School | Houston Hoops | ||||
|
Site | Stars | National Rank | National PG Rank |
| ESPN.com | 4 | 54th | 7th | |
| Rivals.com | 4 | 63rd | 13th | |
| Scout.com | 4 | 53rd | 6th | |
| Chose Texas A&M Over: | ||||
| Memphis, Baylor, Texas, Kansas | ||||
| What They're Saying: | ||||
| "The state of Texas is loaded with talent and J-Mychal Reese is one of the best it has to offer. A lead guard, Reese is a terrific overall scorer that has deep range on his jump shoot. He's quick, plays with confidence and puts up big numbers in both high school ball and AAU. He still needs to get stronger and improve his point guard mentality, but he's a pretty impressive looking prospect." - Scout.com "Reese is a left-handed scoring machine. He has a very quick first step to the basket and he can finish with a variety of shots, including a nice runner/floater. If the paint is cut off by the defense, he has a tight pull-up jump shot..." - ESPN.com |
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| Highlights | ||||
J'Mychal Reese
6-2 * 170 * Fr. * Guard
Bryan, Texas (Bryan HS)
A consensus four-star prospect and top-100 national recruit … one of the best point guards in the nation … the top-ranked point guard in Texas and seventh-ranked nationally by ESPN.com … rated as the sixth-best recruit overall in the state of Texas and 54th-best overall in the entire class of 2012 by ESPN.com … a 6-2, 170-pounder who is a three-year starter entering his senior season at Bryan High School … a three-time all-state pick by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches for his father, John, who is now an assistant coach for the Aggies … was named the district's most valuable player as a junior, leading the Vikings to the area playoffs … averaged 28.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.5 steals … scored 52 points in a district win over Belton and poured in 40 in Bryan's playoff loss to state finalist Lakeview Centennial … averaged 18 points and 5.6 assists as a sophomore (2010) and 18.9 points and 7.8 assists as a freshman (2009) … plays AAU ball for Houston Hoops … chose A&M over Kansas, Louisville, Memphis, Baylor and Texas, among others … son of John and Celeste Reese of Bryan … has an older brother, Jerron, who is a member of A&M's Class of 2012.
Reese in the Rankings
- ESPNU 100 recruit
- four-star prospect (ESPN.com, rivals.com, scout.com)
- No. 1 point guard in Texas (ESPN.com)
- No. 6 overall in Texas in Class of 2012 (ESPN.com)
- No. 6 point guard nationally (scout.com)
- No. 7 point guard nationally (ESPN.com)
- No. 13 point guard nationally (rivals.com)
- national rankings, full class of 2012: No. 30 (scout.com), No. 54 (ESPN.com), No. 63 (rivals.com)
TEXAS A&M HEAD COACH BILLY KENNEDY: “In J-Mychal we are getting an athletic point guard who can also score. His quickness and ability to get in the lane puts pressure on defenses. His scoring talents allow him to play on or off the basketball. He has demonstrated over the last few years to be one of the top point guards in the country.”
DAVE TELEP, ESPN.COM NATIONAL RECRUITING ANALYST: "Reese is one of those lead guards who can captain the ship and score points. He has a way about him and never looks nervous. He's played against the best, on the biggest stages and he's the owner of a quiet confidence. J-Mychal can step on the gas pedal and make it go very fast. Getting into the lane and finishing with athleticism are strengths."