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Odessa JC PG Josh Gray verbally commits to attend Florida State

Chris Walker, Josh Gray

Texas Tech head coach Chris Walker confers with Texas Tech guard Josh Gray (5) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Kansas State in Manhattan, Kan., Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. Kansas State defeated Texas Tech 75-55. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

AP

While much of the coverage on recruiting tends to focus on players making the move from high school to the college level, the junior college ranks can prove to be quite fruitful for a program. Such has been the case for Florida State over the last week, as the Seminoles have added two highly-regarded players who are currently in junior college.

Just a few days after 6-7 power forward Cimmeon Bowers verbally committed to attend Florida State, Odessa JC PG Josh Gray announced his decision while on an official visit to the ACC school. Gray made his decision public via his Twitter account Saturday afternoon.

Gray spent his freshman season at Texas Tech, where he averaged 9.3 points and 3.2 assists per game on a team that struggled due in large part to a lack of stability at the top of the program. Billy Gillispie was fired before the season began, with the school handing the reins over to associate head coach Chris Walker. With the school hiring Tubby Smith in the spring, Gray made the decision to get a fresh start at Odessa.

Gray mentioned program stability as an important factor in his decision-making process while at the All-American JUCO Showcase in Las Vegas in late-July.

“[Familiarity] plays a big part because I’m looking for a good relationship, and I’m looking for a coach who’s going to be there because every coach I’ve signed with left,” Gray said in July. “I signed with Mississippi State: Coach Stansbury left. [At Texas Tech] Coach Gillispie left and Coach Walker left, so I’m looking for a school where the coach is going to be there.”

Gray was already a popular recruit, with programs such as Arizona State and Memphis keeping tabs on him during that weekend in Las Vegas. And in recent days both Michigan and UCLA offered scholarships to the 6-1 guard.

With Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton entering his 12th season in Tallahassee, one would think that there’s a good chance he’ll still be there when Gray arrives in 2014. Gray’s addition is a big one for Florida State, as his addition will give the Seminoles another player with experience at the Division I level. With Ian Miller (5.3 ppg, 1.9 apg) entering his senior season Florida State needed another perimeter player in its 2014 recruiting class, and landing Gray is definitely a positive.

In addition to Gray the Seminoles will return three guards in 2014, none of whom managed to stand out in 2012-13. Devon Bookert (6.5 ppg, 2.4 apg) was the most productive of the three, with Aaron Thomas (6.0 ppg) and Montay Brandon (3.9 ppg) also seeing double-digit minutes on a team that finished last season with an overall record of 18-16 (9-9 ACC).

Similar to Bowers, not only does Gray add depth but he also adds productivity. Those two join 6-7 small forward Mavin Sanders in Florida State’s 2014 recruiting haul, and the hope is that this group is capable of helping the Seminoles get back to the level of play that led to them winning the ACC tournament in 2012.

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