Eastern Washington’s six-man recruiting class loaded with length, Northwest talent

Eastern Washington coach Shantay Legans has completed his six-man recruiting class. (Dan Pelle / The Spokesman-Review)

Eastern Washington coach Shantay Legans rounded out his six-man, Northwest-heavy recruiting class Wednesday.

Three signed with the Eagles on Wednesday, including highly touted Boise point guard Ellis Magnuson, Ellensburg swingman Steele Venters and Adriel Linares, a versatile 6-foot-9 wing from San Antonio and a member of Puerto Rico’s U18 national team.

They join a 2019 class that includes 6-7 Shadle Park guard Jacob Groves, 6-8 West Seattle High forward Abdullahi Mohamed and 6-6 long-range shooter Tyler Robertson, a member of Australia’s U17 national team.

Magnuson, Idaho’s 5A Player of the Year, led Borah High to a state title last year in Idaho’s largest classification. He averaged 15 points, six assists and two steals the past two seasons.

Legans said that Magnuson, a multisport standout who also generated some interest from college football coaches, has the ability to contribute right away.

“Ellis is one of the best passers I’ve seen coming out of high school,” Legans said. “He does a great job of getting others involved in the offense, and is always putting pressure on the defense. Ellis has football toughness and has proven that he’s a winner at every level he’s played, which will carry on here at EWU.”

Venters scored more than 1,200 career points at Ellensburg High, where he was a two-time all-state selection.

“Steele is a talented scorer who gives us size and skill on the perimeter,” Legans said. “We’ve been able to watch him develop over the last few years, and every time we saw him he kept getting better and bigger.”

Linares, a star at little Sunnybrook Christian of the Texas Christian Athletic League, averaged 10.2 points, nine rebounds, nearly five blocks and three assists per game.

“Adriel is a big-time athlete, but also has skills on the perimeter,” Legans said. “With his size and athleticism, he has the potential to fill a similar role to what Jake Wiley and Venky Jois played here in the past.”

EWU, which has advanced to the Big Sky Conference championship game the last two seasons, returns the bulk of its scoring and experience from last season, including All-Big Sky selections Mason Peatling and Jacob Davison.

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