A peek at the NorCalPreps.com 2010 Top-40 men’s basketball recruits reveals players who have signed at schools ranging from the University of Washington to Weber State. In all, of the 11 players who have already signed, nine inked with Division I programs. The other two? Jordan Barton of Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland) and Nate Appel of De La Salle (Concord) each recently signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Chico State. And it isn’t because they didn’t have Division I options.
Barton also garnered interest from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and was named the MVP of their camp. But after his trip to Chico State, he chose to be a Wildcat.
“I immediately felt like part of the family,” Barton told NorCalPreps.com. “Every person on the team introduced themselves to me and my mother. It was just a good atmosphere."
Appel, who was also pursued by Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, UC Irvine, and UC Santa Barbara, among others, told NorCalPreps.com that the similarities between De La Salle’s program and Chico State’s were attractive.
“Everyone is definitely team-focused and enjoys being with each other,” he said. “Plus the coaches want you to become the best player you can, and also the best person."
Barton is a 6-foot-7 forward who helped lead the Dragons to a 20-8 record last season and has them positioned at No. 5 in Northern California in the preseason. Just ahead of Barton’s Bishop O’Dowd team, at No. 4, is Appel’s De La Salle Spartans. The 6-foot-8 Appel helped lead De La Salle to a 26-2 record last season as a junior.
Both players, who were teammates on Joe Fuca’s Lakeshow travel team last summer, will enroll at Chico State in the fall of 2010.
“Jordan and Nate add size, athleticism, and versatility to our team,” said Wildcats Head Coach Greg Clink. “Jordan is a relentless rebounder who can score in the post and attack off the dribble. Nate has the ability to stretch the defense with his 3-point shooting range and can also guard and score on the inside. Coach Allocco at De La Salle and Coach Vierra at Bishop O’Dowd run great, winning programs, and their coaching has obviously rubbed off on Jordan and Nate. We are very excited to have these two quality student-athletes as part of the future of Chico State basketball.”
Appel’s De La Salle teams have gone 77-3 from his freshman season through last year.
Clink and his staff have signed 14 Northern California players since taking the reigns of the program following the 2007-08 season, including six from San Francisco Bay Area schools – Appel, Barton, Damario Sims (McClymonds, Oakland), Powell Lee (Fremont, Oakland), Cameron Finley (Monte Vista, Danville), and Rashad Parker (Castro Valley High School).
