October 14, 2011
Priest gives vow
After a weekend visit up north, Santa Teresa High and West Valley Basketball Club member Trevor Priest knows where he is heading to college.
The 6-foot-5 Priest visited Chico State this past weekend, took a couple of days to discuss matters with his family and then gave a verbal to Coach Greg Clink.
"I felt it was a great fit for me," Priest explained. "I loved the coaches, the coaching staff is great and I also loved the college atmosphere." A portion of the visit also involved Priest sitting in on a class in order to get a sense of the academic atmosphere.
Junior guard Jake Lovisolo was his host.
Besides Lovisolo, Priest's commitment means he will be joining forces with a multitude of other northern California talents including Connor McGrath, Damario Sims, Jay Flores, Rashad Parker, Amir Carraway, Nate Appel, Mike Rosaroso, Sam Hicks, Jordan Barton, Jason Conrad, Jordan Semple and Chris Magalotti.
Chico State is a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association, which besides a host of southern California colleges, also includes Cal State East Bay (Hayward), Cal State Monterey Bay, Cal State Stanislaus, San Francisco State and Sonoma State. This means Priest's family will have ample opportunities to see him play.
In It's A Small World Department, this commitment also has Priest becoming teammates with McGrath, the ex-Serra backcourter who is now a freshman with the Wildcats. Santa Teresa and host Serra met in the CCS finals last season with the Saints winning 46-44 led by Priest's 11 points and seven rebounds.
As to where he will be positioned on the court for the Wildcats, Priest offered, "The coaches are looking at me to play the three."
His commitment comes on the heels of a successful summer with the West Valley Basketball Club. "I really loved my summer team, playing for Coach [Bob] Bramlett was good and I think I did well."
Last year, Priest averaged 13.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.9 blocks a game in a very successful Santa Teresa 23-8 season.