Center will return to home state for college
The official visit that he was set to take to Purdue was only a couple of weeks away. But, Thursday night A.J. Hammons decided that he couldn't wait until then.
Rather than wait and risk missing out on a scholarship, the 6-foot-11 widebody accepted an offer from Matt Painter late Thursday night.
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A native of Gary, Ind., who had attended Carmel (Ind.) High for his first couple of years of high school, Hammons is now in his second year at Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill.
Given his size and ability to take up space in the lane, Hammons has the look of your prototypical Big Ten grinder.
He rebounds, he can play with physicality and he can block shots. But, when motivated, soft hands, soft touch and pretty good feet also allow Hammons to be a heck of shot blocker.
Hammons -- who ranks No. 123 nationally -- joins a class that includes a pair of four-stars in big man Jay Simpson and point guard Ronnie Johnson as well as ranked three-star wing Rapheal Davis.
With Hammons' commitment, three-star big man Stefan Jankovic has canceled his weekend visit and the Boilermakers are holding their remaining scholarship for five-star Gary Harris.