Ford was a 2010 Gazette-Star All-County First Team selection who averaged 19.2 points, four assists and three steals per game as a junior, leading Gwynn Park to a Class 2A state runner-up finish.

"I'm just ecstatic right now," Ford said Tuesday night. "I really can't put it into words. It's one of the best feelings in life right now. I'm just excited and glad and happy."

Ford, who chose Loyola over Howard University, said he thought Loyola was the better option for several reasons.

"Both schools have a lot to offer, but I think Loyola has a more to offer academically," Ford said. "I think also, how I'm going to be living is better. I get to live in an off-campus apartment with other basketball players and I will also get more [scholarship] money with Loyola."

Gwynn Park coach Mike Glick shares Ford's enthusiasm about the choice.

"I couldn't be prouder of Brandon," Glick said. "I think he made a great decision. It's a mix of basketball and academics there. He's got a 3.5 grade point average, he's a full [academic] qualifier, and to be able to go to a great academic school like Loyola says a lot about our county and the public school system."

Ford said he discussed the decision with his family, and his father, Kevin, was happy about the choice.

"I'm glad that got the process over where he can begin the next chapter of his athletic and academic career," Kevin Ford said. "He's a studious kid. We knew that we wanted to go to a school that had a good academic standing. I think the student-teacher ratio will be great and he'll be in a great academic and athletic environment where he can compete at a high level. The Gwynn Park and [AAU club] Team Takeover family did a lot for him."

Ford, who spent his summer with the Team Takeover U-17 squad that reached the AAU national final, said Loyola recruited him through the spring and summer and saw most of the AAU games he played during that span.

He looks forward to his final high school season, when he will be part of a Gwynn Park team that returns much of the talent that brought the Yellow Jackets to within one win of the Class 2A state title last March.

"I cannot wait," Ford said. "I can just focus on winning a state championship. A state championship is our No. 1 goal. Recruiting is over for me. I can bond with my teammates. We came close last year, and we could almost taste a title."

thampton@gazette.net