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 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."
2011-12 TEXAS A&M SIGNEES (2)
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, Megan (A&M Class of '14) and Emily.
Caruso in the Rankings
- 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
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 ... ranked third on the Maroon
and White Report's Hoops Hot List for 2012 ... 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 (A&M Class of
2012).
Reese in the Rankings
- 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."
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