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Hamilton announces signing class

Florida State men's basketball coach Leonard Hamilton has signed another nationally ranked recruiting class as he continues to transform his Seminole program into one of the top teams in the ACC and the nation. He announced the signing of forward Xavier Gibson, guard Pierre Jordan, guard Luke Loucks and forward Chris Singleton to National Letters of Intent to play basketball at Florida State.
"We are very, very happy to welcome this group of young men into our program," said Hamilton. "Individually they are all very talented players who are team orientated and who will fit in well with our current players. Collectively they are a group who will work together well and help us raise the level of play on our team and help us continue to achieve our goal of becoming a program of significance on the national level."
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Gibson (Dothan, Ala./Northview) is ranked as the 43rd best overall high school prospect in the nation by Rivals.com. Gibson attends Northview High School in Dothan, Ala.., and plays for the highly successful Georgia Blazers AAU team.
"I am very happy to be a Seminole and I am glad to be signed with Florida State," said Gibson. "Coach Hamilton and his staff have a great history of working with big men and I feel that I will be able to achieve my goals as a player and a person at Florida State. I am very excited to have the chance to play and learn from Coach Hamilton."
Gibson (6-10 and 230-pounds) selected Florida State over Alabama, Florida and West Virginia.
"Xavier is a very determined and goal orientated player," said his high school coach Floyd Griffin. "We know that he is going to continue to improve under Coach Hamilton and his staff. He is very enthusiastic and doesn't mind working hard to achieve. He loves to have the ball in his hands and is a strong player on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor."
Jordan (Dunwoody, Ga./Dunwoody) is a three-star recruit as announced by Rivals.com. As a junior at Dunwoody, Jordan was No. 2 in Dekalb County (Ga.) in steals average (3.4 spg) and ranked among the county leaders in assists (4.1 apg), three-point percentage (.430) and free throw percentage (.730).
"I made my choice to come to Florida State to become the best player and the best person I can be," said Jordan. "I really feel that Coach Hamilton and his staff will be great people to play for and they will help me improve my skills. I am excited to be a student at Florida State and am looking forward to playing my collegiate career as a Seminole."
Jordan (6-1 and 175 pounds) selected Florida State over LSU, Central Florida and Butler.
"Pierre is one of the top point guards in the state of Georgia," said Dunwoody Head Coach Scott Bracco. "He is a tremendous floor leader who makes great decisions and makes everyone of his teammates on the court a better player."
Singleton (Dunwoody, Ga./Dunwoody) is ranked as the 33rd best high school player in the nation by Rivals.com entering the 2007-08 season. Singleton attends Dunwoody High School and plays for the Atlanta Celtics AAU team.
Singleton (6-8 and 210 pounds) selected Florida State over Kentucky in making his final choice of which college to attend and play basketball.
"Chris is a tremendous athlete who creates huge miss-match problem," said Bracco. "He does a great job playing on the perimeter and is a very good shooter.
"Florida State and Coach Hamilton made me feel like I was part of the Seminole basketball family from the beginning," said Singleton. "Coach Hamilton and his staff are great coaches who are going to help me develop my skills in order to help me continue to advance my career. I really feel that with the coaching staff, the current players and the players in my recruiting class that we are going to win at Florida State. That is very exciting to me."
Singleton and Jordan are teammates at Dunwoody High School and on the Atlanta Celtics.
"Florida State is getting two quality basketball players in Pierre Jordan and Chris Singleton," said Bracco. "Both players bring a great deal of enthusiasm to the basketball court. They will both prove to be great additions to the Seminoles basketball program.
Loucks (Clearwater, Fla./Clearwater) is ranked 78th in the nation among high school seniors and as the 13th best point guard in the class of 2008 in the Rivals.com recruiting annals. He averaged 14.0 points and 7.0 assists as a junior. Loucks is measured as a four-star recruit according to Rivals.com. Loucks became the first member of the Seminoles' recruiting class when he committed to the Seminoles in June of 2007.
"This is a very exciting day for me because I am officially a Seminole," said Loucks. "Coach Hamilton and is staff are bringing in a great class and I can't wait to come up and be a Seminole. There were so many great reasons to pick Florida State - from the style of play, to the unbelievable coaching staff, to the conference Florida State plays in - it is a great place to play. The entire coaching staff has either coached in or played in the NBA and they know how to develop players to reach that level. The players who I will be playing with and the coaches I will be coached by will help me achieve my goals."
Loucks (6-4 and 195 pounds) selected Florida State over Georgia Tech and St. Joseph's.
"Luke is one of the best passers I've ever coached," said Clearwater Head Coach Jack Coit. "His ability to see the floor is one of his strongest points. He is a true point guard and has been a point guard his while life. Luke's understanding of the game, willingness to be unselfish and his incredible desire to win are things that set him apart from most players. He is an exceptional person both on and off the court - academically, as a person and as a basketball player."
Florida State, which averages more than 20 wins and has advanced to the postseason in the last two years, returns four starters and nine letter winners for the 2007-08 season as it looks to continue a five-year upswing of success under Head Coach Leonard Hamilton into the 2007-08 season. The Seminoles defeated Nicholls State and Georgia Southern in their first two games of the season.
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