Lincoln – University of Nebraska Men’s Basketball Coach Tim Miles announced that Jacob Hammond has signed a National Letter-of-Intent with the Husker basketball program on Wednesday, the first day of the fall signing period.
Hammond, a 6-foot-10, 230-pounder from Comanche, Okla., is considered one of the nation’s top big men in the class of 2014. Hammond is rated among the top 150 players in the country by Rivals.com, while he was a consensus three-star selection by ESPN.com, Scout.com and 247 Sports.com. The 6-foot-10, 230-pounder is rated as the No. 2 prospect in the state of Oklahoma by both ESPN.com and 247 Sports. Hammond is the first Rivals’ top-150 recruit Nebraska has signed since the site began ranking prospects in 2003. Hammond selected Nebraska over a number of schools, including Oklahoma, TCU and Texas Tech.
While Miles has upgraded the talent at Nebraska since arriving in March of 2013, finding a quality big man who compete in the Big Ten was a priority in this year’s recruiting, and Hammond has all the tools to be successful.
“I am really excited about Jacob Hammond joining the Huskers,” Miles said. ”He has excellent size and length. He is a great kid who wants to get better and better. I was very impressed with him all summer. He plays in a physical manner and has excellent athleticism. I really think he has a lot of room for growth and development and is someone who will be a great asset to our program. It has been fun getting to know him as a person. I truly like him and think he’ll be a valuable part of the future of Husker basketball.”
Hammond currently attends Comanche High School, where he will look to play his senior season for Coach Nick Price. As a junior, he played for national power Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kan., for Coach Kyle Lindsted when he averaged 12 points per game in helping the school to a 29-1 record and a No. 6 ranking in the MaxPreps Academy Top-10 in 2012-13. Hammond, who grew up in the Dallas area before his family moved to Oklahoma, spent the summer playing for the Dallas-based Pro Skills and the Oklahoma Magic AAU programs. As a sophomore, Hammond averaged 14 points, 15 rebounds and six blocks per game for the Oklahoma City Storm, a home school team, and began his high school career at Duncan High School as a freshman.
The Huskers are currently 2-0 on the season and play host to South Carolina State Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. at Pinnacle Bank Arena.