The Texas A&M men’s and women’s basketball teams solidified a host of new players on Wednesday, as the two programs each inked three commitments.
Nov. 11 is the first day high school student athletes around the country can sign their National Letter of Intent, which indicates that they are officially committed to the school they pledged to.
Men’s basketball head coach Billy Kennedy was able to assemble another strong recruiting class this year, earning commitments from J.J. Caldwell, Robert Williams and Kobie Eubanks.
Caldwell is a 4-star point guard who is considered by the recruiting services to be one of the best players in the state of Texas and one of the best guards in America.
“J.J. is an explosive point guard that we’ve recruited for some time now,” Kennedy said to 12thman.com. “He’s one of the best passing guards that I’ve seen in a long time. He can really defend the ball and is aggressive getting to the basket. He’ll have a chance to impact our team right away as a freshman.”
Williams, a 6-foot-8 forward, is regarded as the top recruit out of Louisiana. His ability to defend the rim is arguably his best attribute and something that is not lost on scouts who have watched him.
“Williams is a blossoming prospect who is just starting to scratch the surface of his talent,” said Paul Biancardi, national recruiting director for ESPN.com. “His best quality right now is his versatility and his shot-blocking ability, as he can influence the game on both ends of the floor. Long and athletic with a good motor, Williams runs the floor with effort to finish a break with explosiveness.”
Eubanks was originally supposed to play at Alabama when he graduated from high school in 2014, but he didn’t record a satisfactory test score to gain admittance into the school. After playing a year at Elev8 Sports Institute, he will be eligible to suit up when A&M hosts Baylor on Dec. 19.
“Kobie is a late addition to our freshman class,” Kennedy said. “He’s a guy that can come in this December and will be eligible to play. He brings a physical presence and maturity as a freshman, because he basically had to sit out a year. He’ll add some scoring ability, being a big power guard with us losing [Danuel] House and [Alex] Caruso next year.”
The women’s side also welcomes a trio of commits, as Aahliyah Jackson, ArLeighshya McElroy and Jasmine Williams all signed on Tuesday to play for the Aggies next year.
Jackson is a highly-touted recruit from Arkansas who can score in a variety of ways and is extremely versatile. McElroy is a two-time All-State guard out of Richardson High School and Williams played an integral role in leading her Cypress Woods high school team to a 35-1 record and a state championship her senior season.
Head coach Gary Blair said each of them has a legitimate chance to earn meaningful minutes in their first year on campus, and was very complimentary of their abilities.
“This year we’re bringing in three outstanding young people,” head coach Gary Blair said to 12thman.com. “All of these players are similar in their strengths, and are diversified in how they can play more than one position. I am ecstatic to coach these three young women in the future.”