Robert Hatter Commits to Cornell

Cornell added a commitment from Robert Hatter (Westside HS) Houston, TX, 6-1, G.

Hatter, who played for the Houston Hoops AAU program, considered offers from Houston, Northeastern and Columbia as well as interest from Lehigh, Rice, Texas Corpus Christi and Oregon State. Hatter is averaging under 17 points per game as a senior and averaged 20 points per game as a junior according to Westside High School Coach Deon Williams. As a senior, Hatter was named All Greater Houston by Vype Magazine

Williams told The Cornell Basketball Blog that Cornell assistant Marlon Sears led the Big Red's recruitment of Hatter. He noted that Cornell Head Coach Bill Courtney also made a trip to Houston to evaluate Hatter this year and made the decision to offer the Texan. In addition to the schools listed above, Williams told us that the Big East's University of Houston, Weber State, New Orleans and Navy also made late pushes to get Hatter, but Hatter was very focused on going the Ivy League route and narrowed his choices to Cornell and Columbia. Colin Hartman, an assistant at Columbia, led the Lions' recruitment efforts. "University of Houston really liked him." But Williams indicated the recruiting race was over after Hatter visited Cornell. "He just loved the campus."

Williams described Hatter as a pure shooter, "he can shoot from anywhere... it is his biggest strength... because of his ball handling, he can create his own shot, but we do run a lot of screens for him. He's a great catch and shoot shooter." But Hatter is not limited to long range shooting. "He's also a crafty scorer [in the lane]," said Williams. "I'd say we use him as a combo guard here, because we need him to score for us, but he can be a point guard in college because he'll have the talented scorers around him." He added, "Absolutely one of his strengths is his passing and decision-making... we want him with the ball when we are pressed [and under ball pressure]." Williams estimated that Hatter was an above 80% FT shooter and indicated that he is a legitimate 6'1" and approximately 165 pounds. "You can see that he is very wiry. [For the college game,] he probably needs to add some weight and muscle so he can take that contact when going inside."

"He's very coachable. We are going to really miss him. To know Robert is to love him," said Williams.

Texas Hoops of Rivals.com ranks Hatter in the class of 2013 as the #69 prospect in Texas and writes:

ROBERT is a super quick lefty floor leader who likes to play with energy and speed all over the floor. He pushes the ball up court at all times, sees up the floor in transition and is a good handler against pressure. He will attack the rim and isn’t scared to challenge bigs in the paint, finishes well in traffic and can knock down the 3 point shot. He is best in the open court and in an up tempo style of play and he likes to pressure the ball defensively all over the court.

RCS Sports ranks Hatter as the #16 prospect in the Greater Houston area while Vype Magazine ranks him #13. The Houston Chronicle placed him on its preseason 2012-2013 All Area Third Team. Texas Basketball Magazine ranks him as a second team all state selection.

As a junior, Hatter was the Texas 5A District 20 Player of the Year. He was a First Team 5A District 20 selection as a sophomore.

During the preseason of the 2012-2013 season, Vype Magazine wrote, "Hatter has emerged as one of the city's top point guards and will be scooped up by a DI school by the late signing day. Hatter is a pure point, getting everyone involved but can score when called upon." City League Hoops writes, "Hatter is a very steady lefty point, not a break down guy, but one who needs angles...plays within himself, makes good decisions and can make open shots." Court Cred wrote during the 2012-2013 preseason:

Coming off a summer where he surprised many people by competing at a high level the lefty must now step up and lead his high school team. The lefty loves to push the tempo and can slide over and play off the ball where he likes to fire away from the corners. Defensively he is capable of guarding the ball full court understanding how to constantly turn the ball handler. The uncommitted seniors has the grades and is looking to go Ivy League.

Five Star Basketball described him, "a smooth lefty point guard prospect, who can get in the lane and finish. He can score and is a very strong student in the classroom with a 4.2 grade point average." Five Star also added, "Hatter runs the show for his team and is a silky-smooth ball handler. He can defend and likes contact while finishing with a floater in the lane."

Westside High School Coach, Deon Williams told the Houston Chronicle, "Robert has been on the varsity three years. We threw him into some difficult situations as a sophomore, but it's paying off for us now. Robert has outstanding basketball skills and his leadership qualities are second to none." Williams also said, "Hatter stands out from other players in a number of ways, one of which is his mental toughness. He has the ability to get past mistakes that he makes throughout the course of games."