Everett Ray excited about commitment to SMU

Everett Ray made his decision to commit to SMU after taking his official visit and the 6-foot-8 power forward chose the Mustangs over SFA and TCU.

"SMU has been successful in the past four years and is proven to be a high tier program and plans to continue to be," said Ray. "Style of play is perfect for my position and the coaching staff has experience and has developed a fantastic relationship with me.

"Academics are great and the coaching staff, as well as myself, believe I can make an impact for their program and continue to develop at their school."

Ray reclassified after his junior year to develop his game and his body. Over the past year, Ray has noticeably added two inches and trimmed down to 220 pounds.

His game is built around being a powerful rebounder, and a player who will stick his nose inside to score. The addition to his game has been a consistent jump shot from 12-15 feet away and a three-point stroke.

Ray says that gaining a year helped him become a much more efficient all around player and allowed him to grow in different areas.

"It allowed me most to grow mentally," said Ray. "I learned how to handle the pressure that I will in college not only on the court but most importantly off the court. My athleticism has taken a jump and my feel for the game, but I still can improve my explosion much more."