Gonzaga signs two guards, one forward to letters of intent

Grant Gibbs told his middle school teachers years ago that someday he was going to play basketball for Gonzaga. On Wednesday, Gibbs lifted weights with the rest of his Linn-Mar (Iowa) High School teammates at 7 a.m., then signed and faxed his letter of intent, cementing his commitment to the Bulldogs.

“It’s pretty neat for a 17-, 18-year-old kid to follow his dream,” Linn-Mar coach Chris Robertson said.

Gibbs joined point guard Demetri Goodson and forward Andy Poling in following up oral commitments by signing letters of intent on the first day of the early signing period.

A year ago, Poling was just beginning a junior season at Portland’s Westview High that didn’t go as planned. He was inexplicably losing weight, dropping from 230 to 197.

“I remember our first game at South Eugene, we beat them and Andy played solid, but he was just absolutely wiped out at the end. That was one of the first clear points that something wasn’t right,” Westview coach Pat Coons said.

Extensive tests revealed that Poling had a gluten allergy. After making the necessary changes in his diet, “Andy was able to start putting weight back on and he’s up to 230,” Coons said.

Poling’s team defeated current Zag Robert Sacre’s North Vancouver, B.C., squad last year.

“My read with Robert and Andy is Andy has got the basketball skills and fundamentals and finesse, but Robert has the physical part,” Coons said. “I can certainly see Andy at the high post with Robert down low being a nice combination.”

Poling is a “skilled big man with the ability to play inside and out,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “He has a great feel for the game.”

GU’s coaching staff watched Goodson, who is from Klein Collins High in Spring, Texas, play 30 times. In recent scrimmages, Goodson lined up against two of the best guards in Texas – J’Covan Brown, ranked sixth among 2008 shooting guards by rivals.com, and Tommy Mason-Griffin, a 2009 commitment to LSU.

“Oh, he played great,” Tim Schumacher, Goodson’s coach, said. “He’s so unselfish and plays the game with such an understanding. We need him to take a step up and average a few more points.”

Goodson averaged 16 points on a 29-win team last year. Klein Collins is ranked No. 1 in Houston and No. 2 in Texas, according to Schumacher.

“He’s a game-breaking guard because of his speed and athleticism,” Few said.

Gibbs helped Linn-Mar capture an Iowa 4A (biggest classification) state title last season.

“He has tremendous ability to set up his teammates, but he can also score himself,” Few said. “He’s very much in the (ex-Zag) Blake Stepp mold.”

Gibbs made 72 percent of his shots from inside 3-point range, 66 percent overall, Robertson said. “He’s really focused on his senior year. When he turned in his goals, he talked about the feeling of winning the championship and wanting to win another one.”