Texas Lands Commitment
After putting the finishing touches on one of the nation’s top classes for 2004, Texas head coach Rick Barnes turned his attention to the future and landed one of the top guard prospects in the 2005 class.
Texas, looking to build on the momentum of their recent Final 4 run received a verbal commitment from A.J. Abrams, a 5-foot-9, 135-pound point guard. He becomes the first commitment for the Longhorns in the 2005 class.
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“A.J. called me this morning and told me that he was officially committed to Texas as of today,” Austin McElroy, coach of Abram’s Austin Dawgs AAU team said. “He grew up a Texas fan so this is a dream come true for him.”
Coach McElroy has watched Abrams grow as a basketball player and indicated that the talented guard will likely get better as he gets older.
“A.J.’s a great kid and very easy to coach. He has worked extremely hard to improve and focused on his defense this summer,” McElroy said. “Knowing him and the type of kid he is, he will continue to improve his game and be ready when he enters Texas in two years.”
While Abrams is a star on the hardwood he also works hard in the classroom.
“One of his most impressive qualities is his 4.0 GPA, he’s just a very smart kid,” McElroy said. “He’s not that big but we expect him to grow a few more inches before he heads to college. A.J. is a very tough kid and he steps up when we need him in the big games.”
Last season at McNeil (TX) High School Abrams averaged 16 points and eight assists while becoming the first player to win CenTex Player of the year honors as a sophomore.
Abrams chose Texas over Baylor, Ohio State and Texas A&M.