This week, Alex Anamekwe, a three-star prospect from McKinney, signed with the Texas Longhorns after being released from his LOI to SMU. The 6'6 power forward is highly athletic, albeit a tad bit of a project on offense. His defense should translate immediately however, as he is switchable 1-4 on that end of the floor. His versatility defensively makes him a valuable piece in the no-middle defense, which he ran in high school as well, so he has the necessary experience to succeed at Texas.

I caught up with Anamekwe's high school coach, Wes Watson. Here is some of what he had to say.

"Which parts of Alex's game do you think will translate to the next level?"

WW: Well, obviously his length and athleticism is the first thing that's going to pop out to everyone. His ability with his second jump to get off the floor...He's an elite defender. He can guard 1-5 [at the high school level] and 1-4 at the next level. You're gonna be able to switch with him, and he's so underrated offensively. He can shoot the three, obviously can finish around the rim with either hand. He shot it right under 39% as a sophomore for us, and was right under 36% this past year. He's solid, and his shot mechanics are starting to get better. He's too unselfish at times. I can't say enough good things about him. Off the court, he's an unbelievable human. He's humble, and he's a team-first guy...Texas is just a perfect fit for him for so many reasons.

"It's funny that you mentioned switchability given the defense that Chris Beard runs. How do you think Alex fits into that defensive set?"

WW: Well, I think he fits really well. We're a no-middle team, we're a hard mid-line team...Alex is gonna fit in perfectly with all of that. We played against Beaumont United earlier this year...they were doing a lot of ball screen stuff. [Terrance] Arcenaux was ball screening for [Wesley] Yates and vice versa. That was such an easy switch for us with Alex and Ja'Kobe [Walter]...We played Abilene High in one of our last games of the season, and they have a 6'11 dude that Alex locked up. The guy just couldn't score against Alex.

"What do you think he wants out of his development in the next few years?"

WW: I think he wants to be challenged. He wants the coaches to squeeze out as much of his ability as they can. He wants to be able to balance the athletic role and the academic role. He wants to be developed as a perimeter guy as opposed to an undersized power forward...He and Ja'Kobe [Walter] were the two best passers on the team...I think the fans are gonna love him. Everyone I know who's watched him play absolutely love this dude. You're never gonna see him pound his chest, you're never gonna see him taunt. And he makes some unbelievable plays. The most emotion I ever saw him show was the game-winning shot to upset Richardson HS. He showed some emotion after his dunk to beat Westlake...I can't think of a better kid that that could have happened to. You want him on your team as a teammate...he's never gonna take bad shots. He's a team-first guy...he's a Beard guy, man.

"He sounds like a perfect culture fit."

WW: Oh yeah. He's the kind of guy that will take it in the chest...He tweaked his hamstring in district, and played through it...He's a warrior, man. We're not able to make that run without him. On toughness, he's a 10...I'm a Beard fan. I think he's going to do great.

@KeenanWomack_OB