2012 Georgia State Basketball: Buford HS PF TJ Shipes Commits To Panthers

Georgia State basketball opened practice last week and received another verbal commit from a top level talent.  First reported by On The Radar Hoops, Buford HS power forward TJ Shipes gave his pledge to the Panthers coaching staff yesterday afternoon.

Shipes is a 6'8, 220lbs athletic low post presence with very good touch around the basket.  He can run the floor well and looks to be a very good fit in head coach Ron Hunter's fast pace, break neck speed offense.  TJ uses his body well around the basket and is an improving defender.  He use position well and plays very long on defense utilizing his long arms and strong hands.

TJ chose Georgia State over from Utah, Tennessee, Northwestern, Charlotte, UAB and CAA conference foe Old Dominion.

Highlights:

Shipes joins Pike HS (IN) wing RJ Hunter, La Costa Canyon HS (CA) point guard David Travers and Brevard CC shooting guard Cameron Solomon as the early commitments of the 2012 basketball recruiting class.

Georgia State Basketball Recruiting: SG Cameron Solomon Commits to Panthers

Georgia State basketball hired Ron Hunter in the hopes of bringing some excitement to the Sports Arena.  If his recruits are any indication, Panther fans will like what they see as Hunter received the third verbal commitment of the 2012 recruiting cycle landing Brevard CC shooting guard Cameron Solomon according to Shun Williams of On The Radar Hoops.

Solomon is a 6'4, 175lbs shooting guard who has tremendous range and is very good at creating his own shot.  Orginally from Lovejoy HS, Cameron was one of Metro Atlanta's most electric scorer averaging 25 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists per game as a Senior.  He can handle the ball and plays taller than his frame with very long arms.

Cameron signed with High Point University in 2010 but left after limited early playing time and suffering a season ending groin injury.  He transferred to Brevard Community College in July and will have three years of eligibility remaining.

Lovejoy HS Senior Highlights

Solomon joins Pike HS (IN) wing RJ Hunter and La Costa Canyon HS (CA) point guard David Travers as the early verbal pledges of 2012.  Georgia State could sign as many as six scholarship players when the early signing period opens November 9th.

California PG David Travers Commits to Georgia State Basketball

R.J. Hunter Finally Commits To Georgia State Basketball, According To Report

Georgia State basketball  and new coach Ron Hunter have been on a recruiting roll after completing their 2011 cycle with highly regarded small forward Tony Kimbro and adding Virginia Tech transfer Manny Atkins last week.  The news for 2012 gets better today as RJ Hunter of Pike HS in Indianapolis has committed to play for his father, according to Kyle Neddenriep of the Indianapolis Star.

RJ is a six-foot-five, 175-pound shooting guard with tremendous range and very good ball handling skills. He is still growing into his body and may still be growing as coach Hunter mentioned that he may be closer to six-foot-six. He has very good leaping ability and has shown the ability to defend players at multiple positions. 
Panther fans celebrated a mild victory when RJ included Georgia State in his own personal final four on April 29. Hunter is likely the first building block of what is to be a large 2012 class, as Georgia State could sign as many as six scholarship players during this cycle.

Hunter will be staying in Indianapolis with his mother to finish his senior season at Pike. His teammate Marquis Teague has committed to Kentucky and is the younger brother of current Atlanta Hawks PG Jeff Teague.

The Atlanta Journal Consitution caught up with RJ and he described his dad's reaction:

“He was speechless for the first time in his life,” RJ told the AJC. “He was shocked. I think he even hung up on me when I called and told him because it was kind of out of the blue. He was shocked and excited. He really didn’t have anything to say.”

Hunter is considered one of the best shooters in the state of Indiana and turned down offers from Virginia Tech, Iowa and Wake Forest.

RJ Hunter Denies Ron Hunter's Georgia State Commitment Claim; Awkward!

On Friday, Georgia St. Panthers basketball coach Ron Hunter seemingly tweeted that noteworthy recruit (and longtime son) Ron Hunter had committed to the Atlanta program. Hunter the younger disputed the implication, saying he hasn't committed yet "to anywhere."

Usually it's the student-athletes who have to be reminded to be careful with social media, but ... well, at the very least it appears coach and player are not on the same page here. This would be odd enough if the two weren't related, but the kinship adds a pretty strange angle here.

RJ Hunter was also recruited by Wake Forest and Iowa among others. The six-foot-six Indiana shooting guard could complete a strong week of recruiting announcements for his father after State also landed Tony Kimbro, Jr. If the pair can agree on whether a commitment has been made, of course.

For more on Georgia State sports, visit SB Nation Atlanta's Panthers hub. 

RJ Hunter Commits To Father's Georgia State Program Over Wake Forest, Iowa

An impactful week for new Georgia State basketball coach Ron Hunter just got a whole lot better as he has secured the commitment of his son RJ Hunter of Pike HS in Indianapolis. 

Panther fans celebrated a mild victory when RJ included Georgia State in his own personal final four on April 29. Hunter is likely the first building block of what is to be a large 2012 class, as Georgia State could sign as many as six scholarship players during this cycle.

Hunter will be staying in Indianapolis with his mother to finish his senior season at Pike. His teammate Marquis Teague has committed to Kentucky and is the younger brother of current Atlanta Hawks PG Jeff Teague.

Highlights begin at :52: