More On Hibbert/Texas A&M

Here's more on DeMatha's Naji Hibbert committing to Texas A&M.

Hibbert bcame interested in the Aggies after associate head coach Scott Spinelli saw him at a summer league game last year. Then head coach Mark Turgeon started recruiting him.

"They've been here as much as they were allowed to," DeMatha Coach Mike Jones said. "Coach Turgeon has been here three or four times. For the assistant to do all the work and then the head coach to show that interest, I think that went a long way with Naji."

Hibbert took an unofficial visit to College Station last September, then decided to make a commitment now because he was tired of the recruiting process. "I didn't want to keep going through all those phone calls if I knew where I wanted to be," Hibbert said. He said that Maryland, Xavier, Syracuse, Clemson, Miami, Florida State and N.C. State had offered him a scholarship. As for the local school, Hibbert said, "I was thinking about Maryland when I first started [the recruiting process] but they had too many guards."

In an indirect way, Jones said he thought that local product Kevin Durant's success at Texas may have played a role in Hibbert's choice.

"It opened up a few people's eyes that you can go away and be successful," Jones said. "They're not going to forget about you."

As for other DeMatha players, Jones said that guard Josh Selby remains "totally wide open" with Louisville and Memphis "two of the latest that want to get in the mix with him." And forward Jerian Grant recently picked up his first scholarship offer, from Virginia Tech. "I think that's the first of many for him," Jones said.

By Josh Barr |  May 5, 2008; 4:35 PM ET  | Category:  Basketball
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