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Buchannon to rattle things up at FAMU
Portal senior chooses MEAC school
Buchannon Signing
Portal senior David Buchannon, seated, smiles after signing a letter of intent to play basketball for Florida A&M on Monday. The Panthers’ 2008 Region 3-A Championship trophy sits on the table. Standing left to right: Mentor Alfonzo Hall, Portal coach Jeff Brannen and mother Kim Buchannon. - photo by MATT YOGUS/staff
    PORTAL — When David Buchannon and the Portal Panthers made a run deep into the 2008 state playoffs, the Portal faithful weren’t the only ones that noticed.
    Teams from the Big East, the Big Ten, Conference USA, the Missouri Valley and Ohio Valley Conferences all went after Buchannon.
    They were too late, because Buchannon had already made up his mind. He will spend his college career as a Rattler at Florida A&M after signing a letter of intent Monday at the PHS library.
    “The MEAC Conference — Florida A&M and South Carolina State — out-worked the bigger schools to get this kid,” said Alfonzo Hall, a mentor of Buchannon’s. “He’s a great kid, and he will represent his community very well.”
    One of the selling points that drew Buchannon to the Rattlers is the fact that they get some exposure on the major sports networks. That, and the fact that he will get to play early in his career.
    “Hopefully I can go down there and make some noise on ESPN,” said Buchannon.
    FAMU also has one of the top 10 broadcasting schools in the nation, and Buchannon will major in broadcast journalism while attending the school.
    Portal coach Jeff Brannen credits FAMU for actively pursuing the Panther star throughout the season.
    “There were a lot of opportunities,” Brannen said. “He had a lot of offers. He chose Florida A&M over teams like Purdue, UAB, South Carolina State –— a number of schools. You have to give credit to Florida A&M. They got on him and the head coach came down here and recruited him. … It’s just the right fit for him.”
    Brannen knows first hand what the Rattlers will get when Buchannon signed on the dotted line.
    “David Buchannon is a good-character kid, and Florida A&M got a steal,” said Brannen. “He’s a guy that can come in — step in and play right away, and that’s what they were looking for.
    “He’s a hard-working gym rat. He’s going to do wonderful things for Florida A&M.”
    Now that Buchannon knows where he will suit up next season, he can start thinking about the future.
    “There’s a bunch of emotions right now,” said Buchannon. “I’m nervous, excited — I really don’t know what to expect. I’ll hopefully go down there and make an impact on the team, just play hard and have a good college career.”

    Matt Yogus can be reached at (912) 489-9404.