Hamilton to Wichita State, Gray to LSU, Diallo to Cal

By JACK LeGWIN

Special to ZAGSBLOG

Three players from the class of 2014 committed late on Wednesday.

Eric Hamilton became the fourth player to pledge to Wichita State, joining power forward Rashard Kelly, shooting guard Corey Henderson and JUCO center Bush Wamukota.

Hamilton, a 6-foot-8, 200 pound power forward out of North Gwinnett (GA), chose the Shockers over Georgia and Cleveland State.

Marcus Smart Impresses KD After Putting On a Show

Kevin Durant arrived late for Marcus Smart’s 39-point outburst Tuesday night — but he may have been the primary motivation for Smart’s career night.

“It was crazy,” Smart said after going for 39 points in No. 7 Oklahoma State’s 101-80 beatdown of No. 11 Memphis on national TV. “Coach [Travis Ford] actually told us that he asked to come to the game, but we thought he was playing around. We were like ‘Kevin Durant? Really? Come on.’ Then we looked on the front row and I was like, ‘Oh, whoa. Wait a minute. Am I dreaming?’ That was an amazing experience to be a part of. We saw Kevin Durant, and we just wanted to put on a show for him.”

Durant, in return, praised Smart, who famously opted to skip becoming potentially the No. 2 pick in this year’s NBA Draft to return to Stillwater for his sophomore season.

“He was just unbelievable for them tonight,” Durant told Eric Prisbell of USA Today. “He was doing it all for them, rebounding, blocking shots, passing, scoring. He led them. I knew he could do everything pretty well. But I like his demeanor. I like how he handles his teammates. A player like him, he always can burst out and get 30 or 40 points.”