Bball recruit puts his faith in GW

October 23, 2008

Until recently, high school senior Kinley Branch had never even heard of GW. Though the Stone Mountain, Ga., native still hasn’t visited Foggy Bottom, he’ll be spending a lot of time here next year as part of GW’s men’s basketball team, where the 6-5 guard-forward recently verbally committed.

Branch is GW’s first commitment this year, with two more expected later in the year.

He has not made the trip up to Washington yet, but he went with the opinion of a well-trusted source: his mother.

“My mom went up there for a visit,” Branch said in a phone interview Tuesday. “She was saying how it was a great school and it would be a perfect fit for me for basketball and my education.”

The self-described “slasher” and aspiring engineer said he plans to see his future team in action twice this fall. His first visit to campus is scheduled to coincide with GW’s home opener against Binghamton, and he said he also plans to attend the team’s Nov. 22 trip to Auburn.

Such trips should help increase his familiarity with a school he said he knew nothing of before his coach brought it up to him. Since then, he has met head coach Karl Hobbs and assistants Greg Collucci and Darrell Brooks, the latter of whom he said he speaks with on a regular basis.

“I’m excited with the staff,” Branch said, noting that assistant coach Roland Houston is the only coach he hasn’t met yet.

The decision to attend GW came recently for Branch, who had been contacted by a number of other schools during the recruiting process. Among them were major programs like Tennessee, Wisconsin, Georgia and South Carolina, as well as Wofford, Georgia State and Princeton. He said GW joined the fray relatively late, but past successes enjoyed by Hobbs and the program helped guide his decision.

“I know coach Hobbs recruited Rip Hamilton and Ray Allen,” Branch said, referring to Hobbs’s time as an assistant at Connecticut. “He’s a good guard coach, one of the best guard coaches.”

Branch is getting a head start learning Hobbs’ offense, as new Stone Mountain head coach Andrew Sullivan has installed the same system for his team this season. Branch said he hopes it will help his team break a streak of state quarterfinal exits and enjoy a deeper tournament run.

“We always make it to the Elite Eight, but we can’t get over that hump,” he said. “This year I’m planning to get to the final two.”

With seniors Rob Diggs, Noel Wilmore and Wynton Witherspoon in their final year of eligibility, Branch will be needed to provide athleticism for next year’s squad. By then, he should be much more familiar with his surroundings.