hutchinson signs with USC

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SoCalHoops Recruiting News

USC Gets LOI From Niceville's
Robert Hutchinson--(Apr. 17, 2000)

Robert Hutchinson (6'-0" So. PG), a JUCO transfer from Okaloosa-Walton CC, which is located in (really, this is no joke) Niceville, Florida, signed an LOI with USC last week, according to a published report in the Northwest Florida Daily News. The story was printed April 13, and appeared the day following the first day of the late spring signing period, which began on April 12 and concludes May 15. USC has not issued an official press release on the signing. We're not sure why the Trojans haven't done so, but it could be for several reasons: (1) The school might not have received the signed LOI yet (unlikely, since these are usually faxed by the athlete to the school), or (2) USC is waiting to issue a single press release when they get a couple more late signees. We're guessing it's the latter.

Hutchinson verbally committed earlier this year, and helped lead his JUCO team to a season record of 26-5 and a trip to the NJCAA Region 8 FCCAA Tournament championship game for the second straight year. Hutchinson broke season records for assists (208) and 3-point shots made (78).

According to his coach at Okaloosa, Bruce Stewart, "His ball-handling, his passing and his 3-point shooting are outstanding. And I'm sure he'll do the same thing for Southern Cal. If you leave him open, he's going to knock it down." The Daily News also quoted Hutchinson as saying, "They have a young point guard and they like what I have to offer. When I went to visit out there it's a nice university. It's a nice environment. Los Angeles is a beautiful city."

It's likely that Hutchinson will be the kind of insurance for USC that everyone had hoped Rashad Jones (6'-2' Jr. G) would be. Jones, who transferred last season from San Jose City College, played only sparingly; while he had averaged 15.7 points, 6.0 assists and 3.1 steals per game in leading the San Jose CC Jaguars to a 19-10 mark as a 1999 sophomore, he played little more than a few minutes a game for the Trojans last season. Although he played in 29 games, he only averaged 7.1 minutes a game, and with the lack of playing time, he never really could get into the flow of the games, shooting only 2-26 from the field all year, while dishing out a total of 16 assists while turning the ball over 15 times. In contrast, Brandon Granville played in 30 games a total of 1082 minutes, thus averaging more than 36 minutes a game. Granville scored 392 points, dished out 248 assists while committing 121 turnovers.

This past season, Hutchinson averaged 13.5 points while shooting 49 percent from the floor. He also dished out 7.2 assists a game. Hutchinson didn't play the 1998-99 season after graduating from high school, using the year to redshirt at Okaloosa. "I think it helped me a lot," the native of Albany, Ga., said. "It gave me a chance to get bigger, understand the game more and help me with my grades." Hutchinson was named to the All-Panhandle Conference and All-FCCAA Tournament first teams. "Hutch has a high skill level," Stewart told the North Florida Daily News. "His skill level is above just about everybody's out there at the point guard's position."

Hutchinson played his high school ball at Westover HS in Albany, Georgia, where he led his team to the Georgia State Championship. He scored a game high 33 points in the championship final and was selected First team All-State for Division AAA and was also "Honorable Mention" for Georgia State Player of the Year (USA Today).