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Coach Watts would like to congratulate "Little Cotton" on signing with the
University of Nevada. Little Cotton was my first student to work with in
the Dallas/Ft. Worth metro-plex area. I remember the 6am workouts before
he would go off to school. I remember going to his dad's shop and seeing
him in the back working on his ball handling and dribble moves. Little
Cotton displayed at a very young age that he would be special. Coach Watts
again wants to say many kudos to Big Cotton and Money for doing a great job with
Little Cotton and I wish you and your family continued success in the future.
I look forward to watching Little Cotton on TV.
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London "Cotton" Giles became the first of four
(and possibly five) Kimball boys basketball
players to orally commit to a university. Giles
on Wednesday said
he will play for the University of Nevada
next season. Giles, a 6-3 point guard, chose
Nevada over Louisiana-Lafayette and Marquette.
Nevada produced Mavericks rookie Nick Fazekas,
who won multiple collegiate awards including the
WAC Player of the Year - an award Giles will
shoot for next year.
"I feel like I have a good opportunity to
make an impact at that school," Giles said. "I
feel I can win a championship over there. I was
really comfortable with the coaching staff
there."
Giles only made one official college visit.
That's how much he liked Nevada. The school, in
return, will get a smart, physical basketball
player in Giles. He handles the ball well and
made good decisions as a point guard. He also
was a solid defender. But there's a reason why
his nickname is Cotton. Watch his stroke from 15
feet and beyond.
"I've been going by that name since I was 7,"
Giles said. "They said my shot always goes in,
and the net's made of cotton. That's how I got
it."
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| Men's Basketball Inks Three in Early Signing Period
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Courtesy: Nevada
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Release: 11/14/2007
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| RENO, Nev. —
Luke Babbitt of Reno, Nev., London Giles of Dallas, Texas, and Mark
McLaughlin of Kenmore, Wash., have signed national letters of intent to
study and play basketball at the University of Nevada beginning in
2008-09, fourth-year head coach
Mark Fox announced Wednesday. “We are very excited to announce the
signing of three young men to national letters of intent today. This
class - like every class - should be judged at the end of their careers,
not before, but we are very pleased to add three players who we feel can
improve our team,” Fox said. “Although they play different positions,
they each have a great deal in common. All three are quality kids who
come from great families, and they share an ability to shoot the
basketball. We are very much looking forward to their careers as
student-athletes at the University of Nevada.”
Nevada’s fall signing class is listed among the best in the nation.
Rivals.com has the Wolf Pack’s recruiting class ranked 22nd in the
nation, while Scout.com lists the Wolf Pack 23rd in the country.
Rivals.com also listed the best signing player at each position for each
conference, and Giles was listed as the best point guard coming into the
Western Athletic Conference, McLaughlin as the best shooting guard and
Babbitt as the best power forward.
A 6-8, 220-pound power forward, Babbitt comes to Nevada from Galena
High School in Reno. Last year, he was named the 2007 Northern 4A Region
Co-Player of the Year with current Wolf Pack freshman
Armon Johnson. He averaged 27.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists
per game and led Galena to the 2007 Nevada state championship last
season. Babbitt was voted No. 3 on the Long Beach Press-Telegram’s
prestigious “Best of the West” team and is listed as the 24th-best
player in the country by Scout.com.
“Luke has established himself as one of the premier high school
basketball players in the country, but he is an even better person. He
is a proven winner in every way,” Fox said. “He scores both inside and
outside while bringing a great competitive spirit. That combination
makes him a very effective player. It means a great deal to me when a
local player embraces our program. We are all very excited to have Luke
join the Wolf Pack.”
Giles is a 6-3, 180-pound guard out of Kimball High School in Dallas,
Texas. He was named the District 14 4A Newcomer of the Year last season
after leading his team to a 23-10 record. Giles averaged 10.5 points and
6.3 assists per game as a junior and is listed as the 14th-best player
in the state of Texas by TexasHoops.com.
“London comes from the tradition-rich Kimball High School basketball
program. He is a big point guard who understands how to run a team and
win games,” Fox said. “He is a leader both on and off the court. That
leadership and ability to shoot the ball really will help our program.”
McLaughlin is a 6-5, 175-pound guard from Inglemoor High School in
Kenmore, Wash. He was the second-leading scorer in King County 4A last
year with 24 points per game. McLaughlin is listed among the top 100
players in the country by the national recruiting services, including
the 16th-best shooting guard in the country by Scout.com, and also
checked in at No. 14 on this year’s Long Beach Press-Telegram’s “Best in
the West” team.
“Mark is a long scoring guard. The Seattle area has provided some
great players for our program, and we are excited to be adding another,”
Fox said. “Mark is a very good shooter, and we are very happy to add
more scoring ability to our team.” |
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| The EBOSS Five -
Under the Radar Gems
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By Eric Bossi,
Director of Scouting, EBOSS HOOPS
February 11, 2008
If
you are an avid reader of Hoops Future or pretty much
any other site that covers recruiting to any degree,
then there is no doubt you know all of the big names.
Even those with the most passing interest in recruiting
are likely to have read enough about guys like Jrue
Holiday, Greg Monroe, Tyreke Evans, Brandon Jennings,
Derrick Favors and Lance Stephenson and others to feel
like they know a little something about the stars of
2008 and 2009.
The reality of the matter, though, is that there are
a lot more players heading off to play college ball next
year who don’t have anything more than a local
reputation and big dreams. Often times, these are the
kids that emerge from nowhere to torture some of the
highly touted kids at big schools come NCAA Tournament
time.
During this week’s edition of the EBoss Five, we’re
going to take at some under the radar guys headed off to
“mid” majors that are deserving of a little love. Just
like any other college basketball player their success
is going to be determined by their drive, whether or not
they can expand their game and how well they respond to
college coaching and there are no guarantees that these
guys will emerge as important players at their
respective schools. But, all five of these guys have
proven themselves to be pretty good players on the high
school level and odds are they’ll be pretty good in
college too.
London “Cotton” Giles, 6-3 WG/PG,
Dallas (TX) Kimball- Playing in the WAC, Mark Fox’s
Nevada squad has proven for years that they can play
with anybody in the country so maybe it shouldn’t be a
surprise that they landed a kid who could easily play in
one of the power conferences. A smooth athlete who
handles the ball well, Giles can get to the rim almost
at will and has the ability to make plays for others.
With a name like Cotton you know that he can light it up
from deep and he backs that up with his pretty jumper
that features plenty of lift off the floor and a ball
that has plenty of arch and rotation on it’s way to the
hoop. Just how the Big 12 missed out on a player like
this is a legitimate question but he’ll be a welcomed
addition when he suits up for the Wolf Pack in the
2008-09 season. |
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University of Kansas interested in "Little Cotton"
(Click link for story)
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/jul/06/kansas_recruiting_heats/
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July 3, 2007 "Little Cotton" choosen to attend RBK U Camp
in Philadelphia.
(Click link for story)
http://www.highschoolstar.com/2007/07/rbk-us-choosen-ones.html
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