Spring Break
A&M recruits fourth ranked national class
By: T.D. Durham
Issue date: 11/13/08 Section: News
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ESPN recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons ranked Turgeon's recruiting class No. 4 nationally.
Naji Hibbert is a 6-foot, 5-inch guard out of DeMatha Catholic High School in Baltimore, Md. He averaged 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals a game during his junior season. He is ranked No. 59 nationally by ESPN.com and is a four-star Rivals.com recruit.
"I couldn't have gone anywhere else but Texas A&M because they believed in me," Hibbert told AggieAthletics.com. "They recruited me hard. I just felt it was the best place for me, that I would get playing time and it is where I could be successful."
Turgeon said Hibbert came out of one of the greatest programs in the country, can score from all over the court and has a great feel and vision for the game.
Khris Middleton is a 6-foot, 7-inch forward from Porter-Gaud School in South Charleston, S.C. During his junior season, Middleton averaged 21 points, nine rebounds and three assists a game. He is ranked No. 64 nationally by ESPN.com.
"I know that Khris will be an asset to the Texas A&M team as he is a great player and athlete, but he will be equally beneficial to the A&M student body and community," Porter-Gaud Coach John Pearson told
AggieAthletics.com. "He is a tremendous person and his choice of school is a perfect fit."
Kourtney Roberson, half brother of A&M all-time leading scorer Bernard King, completed the early signing class. Roberson is a 6-foot-9-inch forward from Arcadia High School in Arcadia, LA. Roberson averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds a game during his junior season and is ranked No. 87 nationally by ESPN.com.
"At [6 feet 9-inches tall], he has the ability to do a lot of things for us on the court," Turgeon said. "He has a chance to be a great defender and a great all-around offensive player for us."
Away from the recruiting trail, Turgeon and the Aggies are preparing for the team's season opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Turgeon said the team has been setting goals in practice and has worked hard in achieving them.
"In the last eight or nine days, the team has come a long way on defense," Turgeon said. "This week, we're going to work hard on offense and overall I really think we have a chance at being a darn good offensive team."
Junior forward Chinemelu Elonu said the team has improved on defense during the preseason.
"This week, coach has put a lot of emphasis on establishing the identity of our team as a defensive team," Elonu said. "Our team this year is very athletic and has a number of players who can guard inside and on the perimeter. Being able to spread out our defense will be a big advantage to us this year."
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