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COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The Texas A&M men's basketball
program announced Wednesday the signing of Davonte Fitzgerald, a highly-rated
forward from the Atlanta, Ga., metro area to a National Letter of Intent.
"We're all
excited to add Davonte to our basketball family," Texas A&M head coach
Billy Kennedy said. "He's the type of big, athletic scorer that will fit well
in our style of play. We needed to add size and athleticism for the SEC and
he's is a great fit for this league. I'm thrilled he's going to be an Aggie."
The
6-foot-7 forward averaged 16 points, nine rebounds and two blocks as a junior a
season ago at Tucker High School in Tucker, Ga., while earning first team
all-region honors. The long, athletic wing scorer is described as similar to former
A&M standout Khris Middleton, who enjoyed a successful three-year career in
Aggieland before being picked by the Detroit Pistons in the 2012 NBA Draft.
Fitzgerald
helped lead Tucker High School to a 23-6 overall record a season ago as the
Tigers claimed the Region 6A-AAAA Championship and reached the second round of
the state tournament.
"Davonte
is an outstanding basketball player," Tucker High School head coach James
Hartry said. "I've been a head coach for 15 years and he's one of the most
high class and high character individuals I've had the privilege of coaching.
The way he carries himself, the way he speaks, the way he practices and the way
he plays are all first class. I give all the credit to his parents and his
family for the type of person he is. He's a better person than he is a
basketball player and that's saying something. Davonte is coming into his own
as a basketball player and he could be a pro someday, those are the type of
skills he has."
Rated as
three-star prospect by Rivals.com and ESPN, Fitzgerald choose A&M over Auburn,
Central Florida, Charlotte, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Oregon
State, Virginia Tech, Santa Clara and South Florida, among others.
ESPN.com
named Fitzgerald as the 10th best prospect in Georgia and the 32nd
best forward nationally, while Scout.com projected him as the 44th
top prospect in the country at the position.
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