Florida Atlantic, The Citadel Score Big

Matt Doherty landed his first 2006 commitment and he didn’t have to venture far to get it done. Xavier Perkins will have a short commute to campus at FAU. Meanwhile, The Citadel scored a sweet guard commitment too.

Xavier Perkins, a 6-foot-5 small forward out of Fort Pierce (Fla.) St. Andrew’s, committed to Matt Doherty’s Florida Atlantic program Thursday evening. Perkins had offers from Stetson and Jacksonville while Tennessee showed some early interest.

“They’ve got a great coaching staff and it’s close to home,” Perkins said. “It’s a nice environment.” Perkins resides 10 minutes from the Florida Atlantic campus.

In speaking of his commitment, Perkins was superfluous with his praise of the coaching staff.

“Everyone is experienced. Coach Doherty is a great coach and a great guy. Coach Walters played in the NBA and Coach Stafford has been around some of the best coaches. They’re all experienced and they’ll push me to the limit.”

Now Perkins gets to become a recruiter for the program. His top two targets? Damien Hollis of Taravella High and William Benjamin of American would suffice.

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The Citadel went into Georgia, from where it presently has two kids on its active roster, and nabbed a quality point guard in the Class of 2006. Dunwoody High standout Kierre Jordan cast his lot with The Citadel this week.

In picking The Citadel, he passed on offers from Tennessee Tech and Charleston Southern.

Jordan liked the fact he gets to take command of a team right from the start. “I would be able to have the ball in my hands for four years,” Jordan said. “It’s a chance to lead the team like I do my high school team. It’s another step up. It’ll be a challenge but I’ll work hard to get it done.”