If North Dakota is ever going to become a consistently good basketball team, it is vital that they get a solid recruiting pipeline into Minnesota. That is why it has to be especially nice to have Hooker aboard. I saw it first reported by Ryan James.
Park Center guard Quinton Hooker has committed to North Dakota. Hooker is a tough 6 foot guard who can play both guard spots.
— Ryan James (@RyanJamesMN) September 11, 2012
Hooker is a 6'0'' guard from the Twin Ciites, and he had offers from schools like South Dakota State, North Dakota State, Wofford, and Tulane, among others. According to James, Hooker has been recruited for over a year by UND assistant coach Gameli Ahelegbe, who has right to be excited about a job well done.
Phenom Hoop Report had a nice little blurb on him back in May:
6’1 2013 PG Quinton Hooker (Howard Pulley) is a scrappy and determined player that maximizes his entire skill set which was on display Saturday. He enjoyed a solid overall game by scoring 17 points going 7-12 from the field and 3-5 from the free throw line. His midrange game was effective and didn’t attempt a 3 point shot during the game. That being said, he was able to dribble penetrate effectively throughout the course of the game. He plays hard and loved his on the court demeanor.
Hooker has a smooth handle and nice looking shot, and should be able to finish in the lane. After playing in the Twin Cities, I doubt he will be intimidated by the Big Sky. UND will be full of seniors next year, which will give him a nice chance to break in, and then hopefully take on a bigger role as a sophomore. UND's basketball program is better today than it was yesterday.
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Have seen this kid play many times. Saw him for the 1st time this past spring at the Nike EYBL in Eagan, MN. I honestly wasn't focused on him so much and paid more attention to Tyus Jones, the #1 player in the nation in 2014, but I did catch note of his effectiveness. Didn't think a whole lot at the time. Then this summer at the Howard Pulley pro-am is when he really caught my eye. The Pro-am is a summer league for college, past/present euro players, as well as NBA players from the MN area to participate in. Some players who were there this past summer included former 2 time Big East player of the year Troy Bell, the majority of the U of M bball players on the current #12 team in the nation along with past Mr. Basketball MN winners, Siyani Chambers (Harvard), Khalid El-Amin (UCONN/Chicago Bulls), etc. With Tyus Jones being with team USA, Q really led the Howard Pulley team. Even though they didn't win many games (Bunch of HSers playing college/pro guys) he kept them in many games and they even pulled a few upsets. Then early December in a huge tourney, he led Park Center past Tyus Jones and Apple Valley, while outplaying Jones in front of many coaches including John Calipari. He's the best senior in the state that I've seen this year and will more than likely win Mr. Basketball this year.
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