Another prep commits to GU

Andy Poling, a 7-foot center who will be a junior at Westview High in Beaverton, Ore., verbally committed to Gonzaga University on Wednesday night.
According to a story in today’s Oregonian, Poling picked the Zags over offers from nearly every Pac-10 school.

“It was a tough decision, but I know it’s the right place for me.” Poling told the paper. “I decided to go ahead and announce my decision because I didn’t see the point in making other schools waste their time recruiting me. I know things are not going to change.”

Like all verbal commitments, Poling’s choice is non-binding. In fact, Poling won’t be able to sign a letter of intent until November of 2007.
But he joins a long list of high school players who committed to GU early, including current Zag David Pendergraft, who announced his choice as a sophomore at Brewster High, and 2007 recruit Steven Gray of Bainbridge who also announced as a soph.

Poling told the Seattle Times he knows he has to get stronger as well as improve other parts of his game before he’s ready to play at GU’s level.
“That’s one of my main issues,” he told the Times. “That’ll come with time; I’m still pretty young. That, and developing more of an outside game, a mid-range game, that’s what I’m working on right now”
According to the Times, Poling averaged 17.8 points a game last season, including 35 in a double-overtime game against Beaverton, attended by University of Washington coach Lorenzo Romar.