Commitment Q&A: Four-star George Turkson picks Texas A&M
Texas A&M picked up an important commitment on Wednesday evening, when four-star forward George Turkson made the call for the Aggies. The No. 100 prospect in the class, Turkson spoke with Rivals about the motivation behind his decision to choose Buzz Williams’ program over fellow finalists UMass and Northwestern.
ON WHY HE CHOSE A&M
"When I went there, their coaches and their players made an impression. They all seem like great people, inside and outside of basketball. As I was watching them practice and play, I saw a lot of what I value in my game coming through in their game. They really value defense, pushing the ball, playing fast, communicating and playing with great chemistry."
ON HIS VISIT TO COLLEGE STATION
“When I was down there, we went to Miami vs Texas A&M in football, and that was my first college football game. It was, like … It is hard to even describe how crazy that environment was. Just from that, I saw how dedicated and involved the Texas A&M community and students are with the sports programs. The press boxes up top are amazing views. I was up there and I was like, ‘wow. This is insane how they get these types of views.’”
ON HOW HE DESCRIBES HIS GAME
“My coach likes to say that I play with a Lamborghini motor. I play fast, I never take breaks on offense or defense. I’m always an outlet for my teammates. I’m a communicator on the floor, too. Sometimes people don’t get to see that I can shoot the ball. I can put the ball on the floor and get to the rim at times. That’s something I have been working on. Everybody knows me as the defensive guy that I am, but I also work on shooting pull-ups and putting the ball on the floor. I hope to showcase that in the future.”
ON HIS HE AND HIS AAU TEAMMATE ANDRE MILLS JR. GOING TO COLLEGE TOGETHER
“We kind of already knew that we would both end up going to A&M b because we’d been talking in terms of how we are going to be roommates and all of that. We spent a lot of time talking about what would happen with us in the future at A&M before we committed, so we both sort of always knew we were going to pick A&M as our final destination.”
WHAT TEXAS A&M IS GETTING: One of the most tenacious rebounders in the class, Turkson has built a reputation for creating extra possessions on the glass but also protecting the rim and having the motor and agility to stay with smaller ball handlers when he gets caught in a switch. He puts the ball on the floor better than he did at this time last year and is developing a face-up offensive game. Turkson’s best attribute is his ability to impact winning even when he isn't making much of an impact from a scoring standpoint nas he’s a gifted passer out of the post in addition to well-documented defensive prowess and rebounding ability.