Gibson finds fit close to home

After looking long and hard at a trio of schools, Xavier Gibson is off the board. The 6-foot-10, 230-pound power forward from Northview High School in Dothan, Ala., gave a verbal commitment on Wednesday.

Gibson, the No. 43 player rated in the class of 2008, called Leonard Hamilton at Florida State and gave a nod to the ACC school, according to his father Cletis Holston.

"It was really his decision at the end of the day. He called me last night and told me that was where he wanted to go," Holston said.

Growing up just an hour and a half away from Tallahassee allowed Gibson to watch the program closely and visit on occasion throughout the recruiting process.

"That was a big part of it. We went there a lot. It is just so close and so convenient," Holston said.

Because of the proximity, Gibson also had a chance to see players like Al Thornton develop into NBA first round draft picks, his father said. That also played a big role in the deciding factor.

"Coach Hamilton and his track record about what he's been able to do with big men over the course of four or five years," Holston said on why Gibson picked FSU. "He's developed a lot of the fours that he's had there. And you look what he was able to do with Al Thornton. A lot of players he's had didn't really have big names and he turned them into great players."

Gibson also considered Alabama and West Virginia. Gibson joins Florida guard Luke Loucks in the class of 2008 recruiting haul for the Seminoles.