Cameron Ridley Signs With Texas… Finally

Texas fans let out a collective sigh of relief this morning when Fort Bend Bush High School center Cameron Ridley inked his name to a letter of intent to play basketball at the University of Texas.  Ridley, who committed to the Longhorns in January, 2011 did not sign during the fall period with the other Texas commits, sparking speculation about how solid Ridley’s verbal was.  Those doubts were erased today as Rick Barnes added the 5-star 6’11” 250 lb. Ridley to an already impressive 2012 class. The McDonald’s All-American is expected to have an immediate impact on the program’s  with the departure of seniors Alexis Wangmene and Clint Chapman.  As if his top-30 national ranking among all athletes is not enough to make you salivate over his basketball prowess, maybe his turning down an offer to play for Roy Williams at North Carolina will.  Yes, he received an offer early to wear powder blue but as we know now, his desire to play at Texas remained steady.

So does a big frame translate into good things on the court?  For Cameron Ridley it does.  He moves well for a big man, is long and athletic and rebounds like a beast.   How central he will be to Rick Barnes’ offensive scheme is still unknown but Ridley is potentially the guy to build around for the next few years, or as long as we can keep him in Austin.  Ridley scored 12 points, had 9 rebounds and 2 blocks in the McDonald’s All American Game last month.