(Picture courtesy of rivals.com)

Low post big men are always at a premium when it comes to recruiting. In a conference such as the SLC, a 6'8" or 6'9" big man with offensive and defensive skills can really develop into a dominating force in the guard driven league. For the 2011 recruiting cycle, Brooks Thompson and his staff have already offered one local big man and a second has now been confirmed. UTSATailgaters has confirmed that the UTSA staff has made a verbal offer to 6'8.5", 229 pound big man Darrious Hamilton of Antonian Prep.

Two weeks ago Darrious and his family took an unofficial visit of the UTSA campus and liked what they saw, "We went up there, checked it out and saw how nice it was. It was a good experience for being here in my own backyard. I liked that it's still building. There's new projects, new dorms, the rec center is very, very nice. They showed us how they're going to build a new football stadium, practice fields, a new basketball arena and to know that that's happening in my own back yard is really good and not just to me, but other football and basketball players as well."

Darrious has seen his recruitment take off after a very productive summer circuit in playing for the San Antonio Rohawks. He's seen his offer list explode, UTSA, Boise State, Missouri State, San Jose State, Cal Poly, Bradley, Evansville, Tulane, Southern Illinois and Texas State are just some of the schools that have extended offers. Colorado State has shown interest, Alabama and Penn State have made contact as well and coaches from both Bama and Penn State will be by to see Darrious practice later in September. CSU, Penn State, nor Bama have offered.

The UTSA coaches did talk with Darrious and touched on how they envision him helping the program, "They see me as a four player who can go inside and out. Maybe hit a 15 foot jumper. I love contact, banging, getting blocked shots. I'm a big defensive player, I love getting rebounds and I think they also see me as an offensive threat."

Darrious does not have a favorite list as he's still seeing what opportunities might come his way. He plans on not signing a letter of intent during the November early signing period, but waiting until the regular signing period come April 2011. Darrious will really focus on education as his number one reason in choosing a school and secondly a program where he can come in and contribute and earn playing time. In UTSA's recruitment of Darrious, he's gotten to know all of the coaches and likes what Brooks Thompson has to offer as a head coach.

Stay tuned for any updates......

Sidenote:
Darrious is currently ranked by Texashoops as the #37th best prospect in the entire state and has earned a 3 star rating. After an impressive summer circuit, don't be surprised if Darrious cracks the Top 30 when the newest rankings come out. Brooks Thompson and his staff have really hit the San Antonio area this cycle trying to build their own brick wall in keeping the city's best talent home. Darrious is at least the third local target that has been offered with a handful more being evaluated.

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