The Longhorns' men's basketball team received its second verbal commitment from a five-star recruit – and its third verbal commitment for the 2009 recruiting class.
Jordan Hamilton, the top-ranked small forward and the No. 5 recruit according to Rivals.com, officially gave his verbal commitment to the University of Texas late Thursday.
"We are very proud for Jordan," said Karen Hamilton, Jordan's mother. "We were very impressed with the University and the coaching staff."
Hamilton, who is a senior at Dominguez High School in Compton, California, is a 6-foot-7-inch, 210-pound small forward known for his ability to score.
The Hamilton family was drawn to Texas by the Longhorns' basketball coaching staff, who immediately made them feel at home on the 40 Acres.
"What you got was really what you got," said Karen Hamilton, Jordan's mother. "There was a lot of sincerity in that staff there. They're not there to tell us what they thought we wanted to hear. They're as real and honest as possible."
Jordan has three brothers and a sister, including an older brother, Gary, who played at the University of Miami and graduated in 2006.
Even though Jordan will still be almost 1,500 miles away from home, the Hamilton family is glad that their son will be closer than Gary was in south Florida.
"What we did when our son was in Miami, we would try to pick a week where they would have home games back-to-back," Karen Hamilton said. "We are going to try and see Jordan as much as we can."
But having their son move away from home is something the Hamilton family feels will be essential to his personal development.
"Going away, it's good for them, for growing into manhood." Karen Hamilton said. "It's just close enough to where we can get there that it wouldn't take too long, but far enough for him to have an experience outside of California."
Hamilton was first spotted by the Longhorns in the summer of 2006 when he attended the Teamwork Classic in Houston. But Barnes saw more than basketball potential in Hamilton.
"Sometimes we'll have a situation where the coach will come in and say 'Good job, keep working hard,'" Karen Hamilton said. "They were there the whole time.
"With [Barnes], it wasn't just about what Jordan did as a player, but it was some of the things they noticed about him as a person and told him how important it was to stay on top of his academia. To have coaches saying things like that, I was really proud."
Texas has also received verbal commitments from five-star shooting guard Avery Bradley and four-star forward Shawn Williams.
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