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Nov. 14, 2012

NORMAN, Okla. -- University of Oklahoma head men's basketball coach Lon Kruger announced today the signing of three players to national letters of intent on the first day of the 2012-13 early signing period. Joining the Sooners in 2013-14 will be high school guard Jordan Woodard and junior college big men Dominique Elliott and Keshaun Hamilton.

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JORDAN WOODARD
Edmond, Okla.
Memorial High School

Woodard, a 6-0, 170-pound point guard, is regarded by Rivals.com as the country's No. 135 recruit in the 2013 class. In his two years at Edmond Memorial, he has led his teams to a 53-3 (.946) record and a pair of Class 6A state title game appearances, winning the 2011 state crown. His squads went 26-2 his sophomore year and 27-1 his junior season. As a junior, Woodard averaged 13.1 points, 4.7 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game while shooting 49 percent from the field, 46 percent from 3-point range and 88 percent from the free throw line. He was named to the state tournament's all-tournament team each of the last two years and is a two-time Oklahoma Basketball Coaches Association all-district selection. He was also named the Mid-State Conference's Co-Offensive Player of the Year last season.

OU Head Coach Lon Kruger on Jordan Woodard:
"Jordan is a terrific young guard who has played point all his life and can really shoot it, so that's a good combination as he prepares to make that transition to college. He's been in the state championship game the last two years, winning one of them and narrowly losing the other. Hopefully he will go back (to the title game) and do well this year. He's just a point guard that's terrific at running his team and can become a big-time scorer as well. He'll score a lot this year for Edmond Memorial and will be a great addition to our program."

Edmond Memorial Head Coach Shane Cowherd on Jordan Woodard:
"Jordan is what I consider to be the consummate point guard -- somebody who sacrifices himself for the betterment of his teammates. He's a great competitor.  The kid knows how to win and has done it at a very high level for quite a long time. As a true point guard, he has the unique ability to understand the strengths of his teammates and how to put them in positions for success.

"He's played with so many good scorers the last two years that he's been asked to be more of a facilitator, and find his own offense in a secondary role. This year I think he's going to be a focal point of what we do offensively. People will see a little different side of him. He can definitely score off the bounce, but he's also very adept at being able to score off the ball. His outside shooting is very underrated. Last year he shot 46 percent from the 3-point arc, which is a really nice number. He's got great players around him again this year, but we're looking forward to giving him the opportunity to cut loose a little more.

"OU's getting a kid who is also very strong academically. Academics are very important to his parents. He's taken pre-AP and AP courses in high school and I think that helps him become a better student of the game, because he is such a good student. He's a high-character kid who's very humble. Even with his kind of star power in the state, he doesn't need to see his name in print every week, which I think speaks to his core values, how he was raised and why he appeals so much to Coach Kruger."

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DOMINIQUE ELLIOTT
Savannah, Ga.
Trinity Valley (Texas) Community College

Elliott is a 6-8, 240-pound forward who stars at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas. Last year as a freshman, Elliott averaged 8.2 points and 8.7 rebounds a game while shooting .574 from the field. Through five games this season, Elliott is averaging 11.4 points and 9.0 rebounds while shooting .590 from the floor.

OU Head Coach Lon Kruger on Dominique Elliott:
"Dominique is in the lines of a mobile four man who can run the floor and provide versatility in terms of handling the ball and attacking off the dribble and making plays for others," said Kruger. "He can do a lot of different things and we're excited he's a Sooner."

Trinity Valley Head Coach Kris Baumann on Dominique Elliott:
"Oklahoma is getting a hard-working, very talented 6-8, 240-pound kid who understands how to play and is a very good rebounder. He's got a good skill set for his size; he's able to step away from the basket. Playing for Coach Kruger, he's just going to get better and better.

"Our success this year has kind of been dependent upon Dominique. When he's gotten into foul trouble we've struggled. But when he's been able to be on the floor we've been pretty good.

"He's a family-oriented guy who's very close to his mother and grandmother. They did a very good job of raising him because we've had no issues with him off the floor or anything else."

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KESHAUN HAMILTON
Palatka, Fla.
Labette (Kan.) Community College

Hamilton is a 6-10, 270-pound sophomore forward at Labette Community College in Parsons, Kan., who played as a freshman last year at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Fla. As a freshman, he averaged 7.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 14 games before sustaining a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament tear. As a high school senior at Palatka (Fla.) High School, he averaged 10.5 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game.

Oklahoma Head Coach Lon Kruger on Keshaun Hamilton:
"Keshaun is a big lefty, a big body that we don't have in the program right now. He's got a good soft touch and good hands around the goal. We feel like he's going to make progress every day that he's here and bring that low post scoring that we haven't had a lot of. We can't wait for him to get here."

Labette Community College Head Coach Jonathan Raney on Keshaun Hamilton:
"Keshaun is a very skilled big guy at 6-foot-10. He's very mobile, has a good touch around the basket but can also step out and shoot. He definitely has a chance to be a great player.

"Right now his main thing is health. He has to get healthy. He's coming off ACL surgery, and with a kid that big it's going to take him a bit longer to get in good shape. But if he does that he has a chance to be a great player. He can definitely play at the Big 12 level and be an impact player. That's what I expect him to do. On the court, he doesn't really have any weaknesses. And he's a great kid off the court. He takes academics seriously. The people of Norman will really like him. It's a good signing for OU. I really expect Keshaun to be a good player at the Big 12 level."