Deion James, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound combo guard from Brewster Academy (N.H.), was one of the few talented unsigned seniors left on the board but after a visit to Tulsa over the weekend, the Milwaukee, Wisc., native is erasing his name off the list.

Brewster Academy head coach Jason Smith told RivalsHoops.com that James made the trip to Oklahoma on Sunday and decided that he saw enough to make his decision final.

“Tulsa has been successful in the past and with their move to the Conference-USA, that was very appealing to him,” Smith said. “He’s bringing the paperwork home with him and then we will FedEx them to his mother so it can be finalized.”

With the 5/8 rule being lifted, Smith said several schools came on late and tried to get into the picture but after making a visit to the Golden Hurricane, Smith said James was ready to make his decision final. UMass, Eastern Illinois and Stony Brook had all offered as well. Smith said he was surprised more schools weren’t involved.

“Believe it or not he led us in scoring for the last half of the season and finished the year at 17 points a game so it was a little bewildering and confusing why he was still available so late in the process. Plus, he’s a great student, too. He has a 3.2 GPA.”

So what will James bring to the table next year for the Hurricanes? Expect a leader, Smith says of his two-year captain.

“We’ve been out of play for two and a half months now but Deion is up by 6 a.m. before classes working out with weights and playing,” Smith said. “After class is over, he’s back at it. I think (Tulsa head coach John) Phillips will see his passion and aggressiveness right away. I don’t expect any less.”

“He’s a hard-nosed kid,” Smith said. “The best word to describe him is competitor.”