With the season starting Friday, Texas A&M basketball head coach Billy Kennedy and his staff signed a highly regarded four-man 2015 recruiting class Wednesday.
“It’s a great time of the year to be a basketball coach, especially at A&M,” Kennedy said. “We added four quality young men that we’re excited about. It’s a relief to finally get them signed and behind us. It has been a three-year grind and we are very excited.”
The signing class consists of Tyler Davis, Elijah Thomas, D.J. Hogg and Admon Gilder. All four high school seniors signed their letters of intent Wednesday.
The 6-foot-9, 270-pound Davis plays with Hogg at Plano West High School. Kennedy said he considers Hogg, listed at 6-foot-7, 220 pounds, to be the best shooter in the country.
“He can put it on the floor as well as do a lot of things on the perimeter but the one thing he really excels at is shooting the ball and scoring,” Kennedy said. “He comes from a great family and will be a great Aggie. We’re excited about him joining our program.”
The 6-foot-3, 180 pound Gilder attends James Madison High School and averaged 26 points per game his junior year.
“Admon is a combo guard who can really score,” Kennedy said. “He’s in the mold of Dominique Kirk and Donald Sloan, a guard who can play any of the one, two or three spots. He’s won two state championships, so he’s a winner who does everything on the court well.”
Thomas, who is listed at 6-foot-9, 240 pounds, is a versatile player, Kennedy said.
“He comes from a great family and basketball program at Lancaster High School,” Kennedy said. “Elijah is a big forward who can score around the basket with either hand, and for a man his size he can really pass and handle the ball. He plays with a great deal of intensity, knows his strengths and has tremendous feet around the basket, allowing him to really attack the rim.”
Kennedy said success on the recruiting trail stems from the relationships and time put into it.
“We’ve recruited these guys for years,” Kennedy said. “Getting Alex Robinson, Avery Johnson, Jordan Green and Antwan Space, who all four are Dallas guys, we were able to develop a relationship within the last three years that impacted this class.”
Texas A&M will start off the season at 7 p.m. Friday against the Northwestern State Demons in Reed Arena.
Men’s basketball head coach Billy Kennedy signed a consensus top-five recruiting class Wednesday.
Photo by Tanner Garza.