Eastern Arizona Junior College (26-7, 17-2) was terrific this junior college season as a program, as the program brought a lot of attention to the Arizona Community College Athletic Association (ACCAC), while winning the conference this season. 6-foot-6 sophomore wing Raysean Seamster was regarded by our staff as the top overall prospect in the conference this past season, and after a strong sophomore campaign for himself, and receiving loads of Division-I interest over the past year, Seamster has now made his college decision - giving a verbal pledge to Head Coach KT Turner and his staff @ the University of Texas-Arlington.
I caught up with Seamster this weekend, after he turned in a strong MVP performance in the AZ All-Star Shootout held at South Mountain Community College this Saturday. In the event, Seamster was terrific - displaying his NBA level length and athleticism in the open floor in the game. Seamster showed off an improved offensive skillset also in the contest - proving that he is an absolute steal for Head Coach KT Turner and his coaching staff at UTA, and should make an immediate impact for their program next season.
"The coaching staff was straight up with me, with what they wanted me to come in and do, and what they don't need me to do," said Seamster. "I feel like it was a perfect fit."
Seamster held a long list of Division-I offers for himself, before making his decision to commit to the University of Texas-Arlington. Seamster chose UTA over offers from Washington, Florida International, San Francisco, Cal State Northridge, Tarleton State, UC-Davis, Cal-State Bakersfield, Missouri-Kansas City, Southern Miss, Southern Indiana, Arkansas State, IUPUI and Portland State.
Seamster led Eastern Arizona to this year's ACCAC Division-I Championship and was an All-ACCAC Division-I First Team selection in the process. Seamster was ranked as my #1 overall sophomore prospect in the ACCAC in our recent player rankings for the conference. Seamster averaged 17.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists per/game this season, while shooting 55.3% from the field.
A native of Portland, Oregon, where he attended Roosevelt High School (OR) and was rated among the top prospects in the West, Seamster immediately came to Eastern Arizona Junior College last season, and became a top prospect in the ACCAC. Seamster averaged impressive numbers as a freshman, 15.9 points and 7 rebounds per/game. He was selected as the conference's Freshman of the Year as a result of his strong performance, and he returned this season as the conference's top overall prospect.
Seamster will plan to sign a national letter of intent this spring with Texas-Arlington. Congratulations to Seamster and the Eastern Arizona basketball programs and coaching staff on his commitment and future signing with UTA.
Arizona Hoop Review Scouting Report: Seamster is a high-major athletic talent that is long and rangy with good size and a nice skillset. A very skilled and talented 2/3 prospect, he has extreme versatility as a player and flat out looks and plays the part. He has serious potential and upside for the future. He is a good shooter with range, but also a very good finisher with the ability to create his own shot. He is a good ball handler that is capable of playing multiple positions on the court offensively. He is also a strong defender that plays passing lanes. He is a very good scorer in the open floor and in transition, and also a strong slasher in the half-court set. He is an active rebounder with length. He has a bright future ahead of him.
I also caught up with Seamster at last weekend's AZ All-Star Shootout, regarding his time at Eastern Arizona JC and his commitment to Texas-Arlington.
