Texas A&M point guard Jamal Branch transfers to St. John's
St. John's' God's Gift Achiuwa (3) defends Texas A&M's Jamal Branch (11) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game during the consolation round of the 2K Sports Classic, Friday at Madison Square Garden in New York. (Nov. 18, 2011) Credit: AP
Former Texas A&M point guard Jamal Branch officially joined the St. John's men's basketball team on Monday, the school announced in a press release.
Rivals rated Branch a top 100 recruit coming out of high school. He was a top 50 recruit by 247Sports.
Branch can begin practicing with St. John's immediately, but due to NCAA transfer rules he is not eligible to play in a game until December 2012.
"I chose St. John's because I think it's a perfect fit for me," Branch said in a statement. "They have a great coaching staff who I feel can help me a lot with my game. Those guys are like teachers in a classroom, but teachers of the game. They know so much about the game. We have a really great team and I think we could compete with anyone in the future."
Branch played 11 games for Texas A&M this season, averaging 4.2 points, 2.5 assists and 2.2 rebounds in 18.6 minutes per game. Branch played against St. John's earlier this season in the 2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer at Madison Square Garden (Nov. 17). He scored seven points with five rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes.
