Weekly Commitment Catchup (5/6)
The commitments didn’t come down as fast and furious this past week but more members of the Class of 2020 made decisions on where they will be playing college basketball next year. Here’s a recap of the recent choices.
The top currently ranked senior on the board Micah Garrett Micah Garrett 6'3" | CG West Linn | 2020 State OR (2020 West Linn) made his commitment official by signing with Casper College. The 6-foot-3 wing had a splendid senior season, especially offensively as he showed the ability to score at all three levels and showed great range and consistency on his three-point shot. Over the years, Garrett has received interest from Division programs up and down the West Coast but when it came to it, his goals are sky high and he believes that going to Casper will help him get there.
“I just thought it was a good fit for me,” Garrett said. “I want to prove that I can play at higher level school and that’s why I chose Casper, so I can play at a high level and prove I can play at the Pac-12 level or higher.”
We would like to introduce Micah Garrett as another member of our 2020 Recruiting Class. Micah comes to us from West Linn High School. An Athletic, Three Level scoring guard, with a winners mentality & high ceiling. @CoachGutting @CoachLesStewarthttps://t.co/JILbE6jg9F pic.twitter.com/1iJFJ6BoI6
— Casper College MBB (@CasperMBB) April 30, 2020
Gaige Ainslie Gaige Ainslie 6'7" | PF Central Catholic | 2020 State OR (2020 Central Catholic) made a decision to head to the NCAA Division II level by making a commitment to Central Washington. The 6-foot-9 post runs the floor well, is willing to hit the boards, and has a pretty nice touch on his shot. Ainslie had a number of different options at all levels of basketball but felt that the Wildcats were the best fit. He’s the third senior from the Rams to sign with a D-I or D-II school joining teammates Isaiah Amato Isaiah Amato 6'5" | CG Central Catholic | 2020 State OR (Eastern Washington) and DeRay Seamster DeRay Seamster 6'1" | CG Central Catholic | 2020 State OR (Chaminade).
“He had a few options but he really liked what Central Washington had for him,” said Central Catholic head coach David Blue. “It’s a great campus with a great school community and a basketball program with a great coaching staff. He really enjoyed getting to know them. They had interest in him and how they saw him growing in the program, and at the end of the day that was the deciding factor.”
And Another one! Congrats to @GaigeAinslie on his commitment to Central Washington University. Best basketball is ahead of him. #AlwaysReppinCC pic.twitter.com/2ATNq4RisW
— CC Rams Basketball (@CCHoopsPdx) May 1, 2020
Kieran Pruett Kieran Pruett 6'0" | CG South Salem | 2020 State OR (2020 South Salem) will be staying close to home after inking with Chemeketa. The 6-foot guard fit right in with South Salem with his high-motor and gritty play, proving to be a key glue guy as the Saxons advanced to the state tournament. He had been talking with Tabor College, an NAIA school in Kansas but in the end staying local was the decision.
“Chemeketa made sense financially as I could go there for free because of my academics,” Pruett said. “It’s here in my home town so my family can still come to all the games. Also coach A and have staff have a great track record of getting their players off to good schools and I’ve heard nothing but good things about him as a coach.”
At Lane, head coach Matt Zosel will be adding a couple of local players to the squad as Josh Paul Josh Paul 6'4" | SF South Eugene | 2020 State OR (2020 South Eugene) and Cameron Parks (2020 North Eugene) have committed to play next season with the Titans. Paul is a versatile scorer who can score both inside and out, and averaged 15.3 points and 6.8 rebounds this past season for the Axe. Parks is similarly a versatile player and was a First Team All-Midwestern Conference selection.
In other NWAC signings, Gavin Knoke (2020 St Helens) signed with Walla Walla and Caleb Arnold (2020 Crook County) signed with Blue Mountain. Knoke led 5A this past season by making just under three three-point field goals per game. Arnold averaged 11.8 points and 7.1 rebounds for the Cowboys and earned First Team All-IMC honors.