Men’s basketball recruit Kinley Branch, who had committed to GW in the fall, has been released from his commitment, according to his high school coach.

Andrew Sullivan, men’s basketball head coach at Branch’s Stone Mountain High School in Georgia, said this afternoon that Branch signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Colonials, but has since been freed from the contract.

“From what I understand, GW has given him his release,” Sullivan said. “So it looks to me like he won’t be coming there.”

Sullivan said that as far as he is aware, the Colonials simply opted to go in another direction. Branch is currently being recruited by up to 30 schools, he said, including teams from the SEC and Ohio Valley Conference.

“There’s a market out there for tall guys that can shoot,” he said.

In other recruiting news, Charis Prep headmaster Carlos Peralta confirmed that David Pellom, a 6-foot-8 forward, has signed a National Letter of Intent, a firmer commitment than the verbal agreement reported in the fall. Daymon Warren, another 6-foot-8 forward that verbally committed in the fall, has also signed a LOI, his head coach at Worcester Academy, Edward Reilly, said.

Update, 2:38 p.m. To put this in a bit more context, the numbers now all seem to add up for GW’s scholarship count. After the team’s most recent commitment, there appeared to be 14 scholarships doled out – one above the limit of 13 – but with Branch no longer coming this fall, the Colonials are back at 13.

Update, 3:31 p.m. Tim Johnson, a 6-foot-4 guard from Lee Academy in Maine who verbally committed in March, has also signed a LOI to play for GW in the fall, according to his head coach, Jim Graffam. He said Johnson sent in the letter April 27.

Graffam also provided a bit of a scouting report on Johnson, calling him a “six-four jumping jack” that is “getting better and better” over time.

“He’s electric to watch,” Graffam said. “He blocks shots on the perimeter, he can block shots inside, he can dunk with ease, and he’s gotten to the point where he’s very confident shooting the threes.”