Sampson Lands Nation's No. 4 Class

NORMAN, Okla. Oklahoma men's basketball head coach Kelvin Sampson announced the signing of five highly rated prep players to national letters of intent today, giving the OU program one of its best recruiting classes in school history.

Rated by Rivals.com as the nation's No. 4 class and by Scout.com as the country's No. 5 class, joining the Sooners as freshmen next year will be forward Keith Clark (Oklahoma City/Putnam City HS), guard Tony Crocker (San Antonio, Texas/The Patterson [N.C.] School), forward Damion James (Nacogdoches, Texas/Nacogdoches HS), forward/center Jeremy Mayfield (Irving, Texas/Gulf Shores Academy) and guard Scottie Reynolds (Herndon, Va./Herndon HS).

Rivals.com rates all five players in its national top 75. James ranks No. 16 nationally, Clark No. 44, Mayfield No. 52, Reynolds No. 66 and Crocker No. 73.

James is rated as the nation's No. 17 high school senior by Scout.com, Reynolds is No. 31 and Clark is No. 46. Mayfield ranks as the nation's No. 4 post graduate prep school player while Crocker ranks No. 6.

“This is as good a class as we've had since I've been here,” said Sampson, who is in his 12th year at OU. “Sure, all five players are rated high, but just as important is the fact that they're high-character kids. They love to play basketball and they're fun to be around. Our staff is very, very happy with this class.”

Signees Release in PDF

Seniors on this year's Oklahoma team are forwards Kevin Bookout and Taj Gray, and guard Terrell Everett.

“We'll have a good balance next year. We'll have good young players coming in and good veterans coming back. That's the way you want it for your program.”

Said Dave Telep, national recruiting analyst for Scout.com, “It's the best class in the Big 12. Kelvin Sampson has been one of the kings of junior college recruiting. One of the things that separates you as a coach is changing with the times. Kelvin mined junior college talent when he could and then the trend switched to post graduate players. Now Oklahoma signed the No. 4 and No. 6 post graduate players in the country. When the junior college talent dried up a little bit, he moved right to the prep schools and got it done there. And he did a tremendous job with three high school kids in the top 50.”

KEITH CLARK (6-8, 220, F, Oklahoma City, Okla., Putnam City HS)
A consensus top-50 national signee
Rated No. 43 by Hoopmasters.com
Rated No. 44 by Rivals.com
Rated No. 46 by Scout.com
Rated No. 46 by Scout.com
Rated as the nation's No. 11 small forward by Scout.com
A first-team Metro Athletic Conference selection and an All-District 8 selection
Named to Class 6A State Tournament All-Tournament Team
Averaged 14.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.4 steals per game as a junior at Putnam City HS
Named MVP of Bagg Insurance/Academy Tournament in Fort Worth, Texas
A 2006 Preseason Super Five selection by The Oklahoman

KELVIN SAMPSON ON KEITH CLARK
“I don't think anybody realizes how good he can be. I'm not sure he realizes it. I'm looking forward to getting Keith here and getting him focused on work and improvement. His upside is tremendous. Of the big kids we have in our program, I don't know that we have anyone as versatile as Keith in that he can make 3s, he can really pass, he can block shots, he can run the floor. There's really nothing he can't do. The sky's the limit. I've been watching Keith since about the ninth grade and I've always liked him. I think he's going to make huge strides when he gets to OU.”

PUTNAM CITY HIGH SCHOOL HEAD COACH A.D. BURTSCHI ON KEITH CLARK
“Keith is an outstanding player, it goes without saying. You take a look at him on the floor and how multi-faceted he is he can score inside or outside. He can create pretty well for a guy his size, not only for himself but for others. He's also kind of a nightmare as a defensive matchup. If you try to put a post on him he's going to blow by that guy and if you put a guard on him he'll post him up. He presents a lot of obstacles for other teams. One of his greatest attributes is finding the open guy and making the pass.

“He makes other players better. He's real good with the younger players in directing them through growth periods and putting them in position to be competitive and successful. He brings a lot to the table in terms of offense. When he really exerts himself he can be a really good defender. He's a natural shot blocker, he can get to gaps real quickly, he can break up plays. He has a good nose for the ball and a good head for the game.

“He's a good kid with a great heart. He's the kind of kid who, under the direction of Coach Sampson, will do nothing but make contributions to that program. How soon he makes them will be up to Keith. But he's got the tools to do it. The sky's the limit with Keith.”

SCOUT.COM'S DAVE TELEP ON KEITH CLARK
“He's Mr. Inside-Outside for this class. I think a lot of guys pretend to be forwards who can play on the perimeter. I think Keith Clark is a guy who has legitimate face-up skills. He's got a four-man's body and could find himself transitioning to the small forward spot as his career moves on.”

TONY CROCKER (6-5, 180, G, San Antonio, Texas, The Patterson School [N.C.])
Rated No. 73 by Rivals.com
Rated as nation's No. 6 post graduate prep player by Scout.com
Rated as the No. 5 player in Texas by TexasRoundball.com
Rated as the No. 6 player in Texas by Rivals.com
Rated as nation's No. 13 shooting guard by Rivals.com
A 2005 Texas Association of Basketball Coaches First-Team 5A All-State selection
Named the San Antonio Prep Player of the Year by The San Antonio Express-News
Averaged 22 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists per game last year at Warren High School

KELVIN SAMPSON ON TONY CROCKER
“The things I like about Tony Crocker are that he's long, he's very athletic, he plays both ends of the floor and he's a kid you can tell that his best days are ahead of him. He's a good player now, but you can tell he's just going to get better. He can make 3s, he can put it on the floor. Of the kids we signed, he's probably the one defensively who's ready to come in and play right away.”

THE PATTERSON SCHOOL HEAD COACH CHRIS CHANEY ON TONY CROCKER
“I really don't think people around the country really know how good he is. I mean, I can't say enough good things about him. He's got an all-round game and there's nothing on the court he can't do. He can shoot, he can score and he's a lockdown defender. He's one of those guys that makes you feel a lot more comfortable when he's on the court.

“He fits Coach Sampson's style very well. I think he'll play after Oklahoma. I really think that highly of his game and of his work ethic.”

SCOUT.COM'S DAVE TELEP ON TONY CROCKER
“Tony Crocker had a big-time high school career in San Antonio. The thing that really sticks out for me is that he's crafty and scores like a college player. By that I mean he's not confined to behind the arc. He scores off the pull-up, in mid range and on the drive. His bag of tricks has a lot of things in it.

“He did a good job of flying under the radar. If he just rolled up on campus last year and not gone to post graduate school, he definitely would have left people scratching their heads wondering he came from.”

DAMION JAMES (6-8, 225, F, Nacogdoches, Texas, Nacogdoches HS)
A consensus top-20 national signee
Rated No. 16 by Rivals.com
Rated No. 17 by Scout.com
Rated No. 17 by Hoopmasters.com
Rated No. 18 by HoopScoop
Named Co-Player of the Week at 2005 at Reebok ABCD Camp
Rated as the No. 1 player in Texas by TexasHoops.com
Named 2005 All-Texas District 17-4A Player of the Year
A 2005 All-Region III 4-A first-team selection
Averaged 23.5 points, 14.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 3.4 steals and 4.3 blocks per game last year as a junior for 27-6 Nacogdoches HS
Owns Nacogdoches HS career scoring record of 1,842 points (19.2 ppg)
Averaged 21.5 points, 12.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.2 blocks per game as a sophomore (team finished 22-9)
Has posted single-game bests of 37 points, 23 rebounds, 11 assists, nine blocked shots and five steals
Played in 2005 USA Basketball Youth Development Festival for bronze-medal-winning Red Team

KELVIN SAMPSON ON DAMION JAMES
“He's just a player. Damion's a 51,' which means he can play the five position to the one. He can play anywhere, and the great thing is that he'll play anywhere you want him to. He's got a great personality, a great smile. He laughs, he has fun. His enthusiasm for the game is infectious and our fans are absolutely going to love him. He's an extremely talented basketball player. We can't wait to get him in here and get him going.”

NACOGDOCHES HIGH SCHOOL HEAD COACH MARK RICHARDSON ON DAMION JAMES
“The people up in Norman should be really excited. Damion is a really high quality basketball player, he's going to bring a big desire to win and a lot of intensity. He's got a lot of athleticism, but he's got a lot of basketball skill, too. Plus, he's a team-player type kid. He's a real complete basketball player. The better players he goes against, the better he plays. He understands the game of basketball. He's really well-rounded and is not limited to just shooting or rebounding or just posting up. At 6-8 and with the athleticism he has, he's a real commodity in today's basketball world.

“Damion's a natural-born leader. He's harder on himself than anyone can imagine. He strives to be everything he can possibly be and is extremely competitive as a person, no matter what he's doing. He's one of those kids you really hope you don't play against and one you really get excited about when he's on your team.

“He's a triple-double type player that's the way he plays the game. He's going be high in a lot of different categories. And he's not going to be extremely high in any one category.”

SCOUT.COM'S DAVE TELEP ON DAMION JAMES
“Damion is a big-time, big-time wing athlete. The best part of his game is his ability to elevate, get to the rim and finish. He's among a handful of guys who are just superior athletes to the rest of the country.”

JEREMY MAYFIELD (6-10, 234, F/C, Irving, Texas, Gulf Shores Academy)
Rated No. 52 by Rivals.com
Rated as nation's No. 4 post graduate prep player by Scout.com
Rated as the No. 5 player in Texas by Rivals.com
Rated as nation's No. 12 power forward by Rivals.com
Named to 2005 All-Irving First Team
Averaged 10 points and 9 rebounds per game as a senior at MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas
Averaged 16 points and 12 rebounds for DFW Select AAU team

KELVIN SAMPSON ON JEREMY MAYFIELD
“Jeremy's a great athlete and is versatile. He's going to be a tough matchup for opponents because he can play facing the basket and he can play around the basket. He can dribble it, pass it and shoot it. He's a 6-10 basketball player as opposed to a 6-10 center. He's very skilled and just makes a lot of plays. I also like his ability to block shots. Jeremy's ability to run ahead of the ball and make plays is another one of his strengths.”

SCOUT.COM'S DAVE TELEP ON JEREMY MAYFIELD
“When you combine his size, athleticism and his ability to put in work around the basket, to me he's one of the five best post graduate kids in the country.”

DFW SELECT AAU COACH CRAIG ROBERTS ON JEREMY MAYFIELD
“Jeremy is very athletic and versatile. He's only been playing organized basketball since his sophomore year of high school, so he's still learning the game. He's learning and growing by leaps and bounds each year.

“He's 6-10 and 234, so he can work on the block with the big guys and he can also handle the ball. That's probably the thing that impresses most people when they see him play he'll grab a rebound and just turn around, lead the break and make a simple bounce pass for a layup. He enjoys handling the ball and passing more than he does scoring.”

SCOTTIE REYNOLDS (6-0, 170, G, Herndon, Va., Herndon HS)
Rated No. 31 by Scout.com
Rated No. 49 by Hoopmasters.com
Rated No. 66 by Rivals.com
Rated as nation's No. 5 point guard by Scout.com
2005 Reebok ABCD Camp All-Star
Named to 2004 and 2005 Associated Press All-State First Team
2005 First-Team Washington Post All-Met selection
2004 and 2005 Northern Region and Concorde District Player of the Year
Averaged 34.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 3.3 steals per game as a junior
Averaged 22.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.7 steals as a sophomore
Has compiled 1,530 points, 300 rebounds, 287 assists and 171 steals over three-year high school career
Has shot 49 percent from the field and 45 percent from 3-point range at Herndon
Is seven points shy of becoming Herndon's all-time leading scorer
Played in 2005 USA Basketball Youth Development Festival for gold-medal-winning White Team

KELVIN SAMPSON ON SCOTTIE REYNOLDS
“The thing I love most about Scottie Reynolds is that he's a winner he loves to win. He really works hard at his game and takes basketball seriously. He comes from an unbelievable family. We expect him to impact us right away. Not only can he shoot the basketball, but he can make plays off the dribble. He has a chance to be an excellent college basketball player.”

HERNDON HIGH SCHOOL HEAD COACH GARY HALL ON SCOTTIE REYNOLDS
“First and foremost, he's an outstanding leader both verbally and leading by example. I've heard Coach Sampson say there are two guys on the team who can never have a bad day and those are the best player and the head coach. You don't have to worry about that with Scottie. It's almost like having a gifted/talented kid in the classroom in that he challenges me every day. He's made me a better coach just by trying to keep up with him. His work ethic is outstanding and so is his character.

“He's a gym rat. He absolutely loves to play the game. He doesn't have a sense of entitlement that so many of the young kids have today because of people telling them how great they are. He's constantly striving to get better. With all that said, he can put the ball in the basket. He's a terrific 3-point shooter, he's a great foul shooter and he handles the ball. The area in which he can improve is on the defensive end of the floor. And in saying that, he's already very good defensively. He can dominate a game on the offensive end of the floor. This year I think we'll see him dominate the defensive end.

“The people of Oklahoma are absolutely going to love him. I feel like a doting father when I talk about him, but just about every day he does something to amaze you both on and off the court. We're so proud of him and it's nice to see a kid, who puts in the time and effort and who does all the right things, achieve their dream. And his dream is to get a Division I basketball scholarship.”

SCOUT.COM'S DAVE TELEP ON SCOTTIE REYNOLDS
“I think Scottie Reynolds might be one of the most overlooked guys in America. There are few kids who have the intangibles combined with the 3-point stroke that he has. In the last year he's never been given enough credit for moving from a straight two-guard role to a legitimate combo pack who will play some point in college.”

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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