By: KSU Sports Information
Early Signee Release- 11/10/11
KENNESAW, Ga. – Cole Hobbs, Cameron Jones and Nigel Pruitt all signed National Letters of Intent to play Kennesaw State Owls men’s basketball beginning in the fall of 2012, Owls head coach Lewis Preston announced on Thursday. The commitments bring the size of the incoming freshman class up to seven.
The trio have all had highly successful careers at the prep level, while all playing with extremely competitive programs. They join a quartet of fellow newcomers in Yonel Brown, Myles Hamilton, Jordan Montgomery and Brandon Williams, with the seven of them coming from a total of five states.
“This class sets the foundation for what we want to achieve as a program here at Kennesaw State. These seven young men give us size, depth, they all have high basketball IQ’s and great character, and they all come from winning programs,” Owls head coach Lewis Preston stated. “These young men are the type of people that we’re looking for to grow this basketball program, and we are willing to go all over the country to find the right talent, and we’ve done that right here from the get-go.”
Just as with the four that signed with the Black and Gold back in November, all three of the latest signees have helped take their teams on deep postseason runs.
Hobbs, who played his prep ball at Greater Atlanta Christian in Norcross, helped GAC to the Georgia Class 2A state title in 2011 and then contributed to the 2012 squad that made it all the way back to the quarterfinals this past March.
His team’s success at the state level is similar to that of Jones, who was a standout at Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Va. Jones helped his squad to the 2010 Virginia Class 3A semifinals and the quarterfinals in 2011, both coming at the highest classification in the state. Pruitt, for his part, played for the Bullis School in Potomac, Md., and was a key member of a squad that went 25-3 and won the 2012 Interstate Athletic Conference championship, finishing with a No. 11-ranking in the state of Maryland according to Max Preps.
The newest members of the Owls also earned accolades for their individual contributions. Hobbs was a three-time All-Region honoree while setting school records for three-pointers made in a season in 2011-12 and free throw percentage in 2010-11. Jones earned 2011 Western Valley District Player of the Year honors while serving as captain his senior season, while Pruitt earned All-IAC honors on two occasions while also being named to the 2012 Washington Post All-Metro Fourth Team. Jones finished up his prep career this season at Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, Va., where he started every game and averaged 16.2 points, five rebounds and three assists per game.
Since signing with the Owls in November, Preston and his staff has seen Jordan Montgomery help Orlando Christian Prep to the 2012 Florida Class 2A State title for his second career state title while being named a All-Florida Class 2A Second Team honoree. Brown was named the Georgia Region 8-Class 5A Player of the Year as well as the Gwinnett County Player of the Year, and earned All-Georgia Class 5A Second Team honors. Hamilton, who played prep ball with Owls rising sophomore Delbert Love at St. Edward’s High School in Cleveland, Ohio, was named to the All-Ohio Division I Second Team. Williams, for his part, was an All-Florida Class 3A selection after helping his squad at Summit Christian High School in West Palm Beach, Fla. to the state’s 1A title a year ago.
Insights on the Newest Signees:
Cole Hobbs- 6’8” Forward, Greater Atlanta Christian/Norcross, Ga.
Coach Preston: “Cole Hobbs reminds me of what we had in Lee Humphrey on those championship teams at Florida in that he can flat shoot and put the ball in the basket. Many people look at him as a one-dimensional player, but I look at him as not only being able to knock down shot but he also has a knack for getting to the ball and rebounding the ball, and will help us on defense as well. He does a great job fitting into the team concept as such an unselfish player, and he will only continue to flourish and improve here at Kennesaw State.”
Eddie Martin, Head Coach, GAC: I definitely think Cole’s best basketball is ahead of him, he is no doubt an excellent perimeter shooter who has worked extremely hard at getting better at other phases of the game such as rebounding, putting the ball on the floor and defending, and as he continues to gain confidence of those areas he will really be a great contributor at the collegiate level.
Cameron Jones- 6’4” Guard, Massanutten Military Academy/Woodstock, Va.
Coach Preston: “Cam Jones is a player of very high character, he’s a great driver and slasher to the basket that can play multiple guard positions, but also at the same time he has really worked on and developed his mid-range game. I see him arriving and immediately having an impact on our program, he has a bright future here at Kennesaw State.”
Chad Myers, Head Coach, Massanutten Military Academy: "Cam Jones was the kind a kid in Roanoke who was a little under the radar, but being from there I had been told a lot of time of his great potential and that he has a chance to be really good. He came in here this past year and worked extremely hard, and we could see him get better and better as the season went along. He has a really high ceiling, and while I think he can help right away, he is someone who will improve every year.”
Jack Esworthy, Head Coach, Patrick Henry HS: “Having spent a good deal of time with Coach Preston, I think it will be a win-win for both Kennesaw State and for Cam. Cam is a great kid and definitely has a bright future there.”
Nigel Pruitt- 6’7”, Guard/Forward, Bullis School/Potomac, Md.
Coach Preston: Nigel Pruitt that has the ability to score at all three levels, whether it’s his back to the basket, shoot from mid-range or from long distance. He has really developed his all-around game and will really be a great asset to our program with his size and his ability to shoot the ball.
Bruce Kelley, Head Coach, Bullis School: “Nigel is a rarity for basketball in our area, in that he’s actually young for his graduating class, so he has yet to hit his stride, but Kennesaw State’s coaching staff saw his potential. He’s going to get nothing but better at the collegiate level, he’s long, he’s skilled, and in two years people are going to be asking how Kennesaw State got him.”
