As I tweeted yesterday at noon, 2012 G Alex Caruso of aTm Consolidated High School in College Station, TX has given his verbal commitment to the hometown Aggies. That has to have a bunch of crazy Aggies yelling "WHOOP". Alex and his family had visited Colorado last weekend and up until mid day yesterday was conflicted about which was the best option for him. In the end, the draw of playing in his hometown was the deciding factor. Caruso grew up as the Aggies ball boy, when Coach Billy Clyde Gillispie (now at Texas Tech) was the Head Coach so it was ingrained in him. Coach Billy Kennedy and Assistant Kyle Keller (who came over from Kansas) did a great job of recruiting him.
Alex Caruso shown below at the Texas D1 Ambassadors training camp in Galveston, TX
What are the odds of two of the top guards in the country in the Class of 2012 growing up within 5 miles of each other in two separate, small Texas towns? Of being alumni of the same club team, the Texas D1 Ambassadors? And of course playing in the same district? Apparently those odds are better than average as he joins Bryan's J.Mychal Reese in the Aggies 2012 backcourt sweepstakes.
Caruso throwing one down at the Pangos All American Camp in Los Angeles. Photo compliments of ESPN.
Caruso, at a shade under 6'6" can play the one, two or three. He rebounds exceptionally well, has great court vision and is the best off ball defender (ability to read passing lanes) than anyone I've had the pleasure to coach. Perhaps the thing that shocks folks about the wafer thin Caruso is his rise. With the exception of Shabazz Muhammad there is not a guard in the country that brings that kind of explosiveness. He's above the square and perhaps one of the most dominant prep dunks I've ever seen was when he went baseline against the Australian 19U team in Houston this past spring and threw it down on the head of a 6'9" MAN who had no idea what hit him.
Caruso at the NBA Players Camp in Charlottesville, VA
Unlike Reese who's had national attention since he was 10 years old, Caruso is a late comer to the party. We knew he was pretty good last year at 6'3", but it was his overal maturity this past spring which shocked a lot of folks. An outstanding spring at the Las Vegas Easter Classic and at the Denver Spring Showcase had his name on everyone's lips. He followed that up with an outstanding Pangos All American Camp in Los Angeles which garnered him an invitation to Dave Telep's NBA Top 100 Players Camp in Charlottesville, VA.
Alex is the son of Mr and Mrs Mike Caruso of College Station, TX. Gotta give props to Papa Mike who was a player and later a coach in his day at Creighton under Coach Eddie Sutton. Mr. Caruso is now the Associate Athletic Director for the Aggies.-Congratulations Alex from the D1 Nation Family-Coach Max Ivany
