Damion James
has been through a whirlwind type of week, visiting Texas
A&M on Thursday and Friday and then immediately moving on to
Austin for his official visit to Texas on Friday and
Saturday. With the end of high school and graduation drawing
near, a timely decision had to be made for James to do the
proper paperwork required to report on the first of June.
Nacogdoches head coach Mark Richardson said on Monday that
James simply followed his heart in the end, choosing the
Longhorns over the Aggies in a bit of a surprise
announcement.
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Damion James picked Texas over Texas A&M on Monday. |
"He chose Texas," Richardson confirmed. "Every since he was
a little kid, he wanted to go to Texas. The first time
around he did not go that route, but he held to that the
second time around."
The final decision was not an easy one for James, said
Richardson.
"Texas A&M did a good job recruiting Damion and made it a
tough decision, but he stayed true to where he always wanted
to go," Richardson said.
James burst onto the national scene as a sophomore after
averaging 21.5 points, 12.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.4
blocks per game for Nacogdoches and following that up with
impressive performances on the AAU circuit with Houston
Elite.
James continued his stellar play averaging 23.5 points and
14.4 boards as a junior on a Nacogdoches Dragon team that
advanced to the 4A region III semi-finals. Another strong
summer, including a great week at ABCD camp, only cemented
James position among the nation's best in the 2006 class.
James continued to dominate for Nacogdoches as a senior,
averaging 26 points, 17 rebounds and five assists per game
on a playoff team.
What type of player will the Longhorns be getting in James?
Coach Richardson says his standout prospect can do a little
bit of everything.
"Texas is getting a very competitive, all-around player that
loves to win. Damion wants to win," Richardson said.
