santa clara signees

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SoCalHoops Recruiting News

Santa Clara Signs Borchart,
Altheimer & Tibbets--(Nov. 10, 2000)

More Signing News: We received an e-mail from a friend up in Santa Clara letting us know that head coach Dick Davey has received signed National Letters of Intent from two guys who have been very familiar to readers of SoCalHoops, specifically, Bakari Altheimer (5'-10" Sr. PG) from Oakland St. Elizabeth's, who played on the Double Pump California All Star team this past year, and from Scott Borchart (6'-8" Sr. PF) from West Hills Chaminade, who although mostly known in travel circles for not playing on club teams, actually played on the same Pump team with Bakari this past spring. Santa Clara also signed a third player, Linden Tibbets (6'-10" Sr. C/F) from Duncanville HS in Duncanville, Texas.

Here's the official press release from the school announcing the signings:

Santa Clara Signs Three Men's Basketball Standouts to Letters of Intent

Broncos expect to sign one additional student-athlete during early signing period
Nov. 8, 2000

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara men's basketball team signed three prep standouts to national letters of intent on the first day of the NCAA's early signing period today -- point guard Bakari Altheimer from Oakland, Calif., forward/center Scott Borchart from Newbury Park, Calif. and center/forward Linden Tibbets from Duncanville, Texas.

Santa Clara has four scholarships to allocate during the 2000-2001 signing period and expects to sign one more player during the early signing period. The early signing period begins today and ends on Wednesday, Nov. 15. The spring letter of intent signing period for basketball is April 11 through May 15.

"We are extremely excited about the potential of this year's class," said Santa Clara Head Coach Dick Davey. "Each of the players in this year's class have the ability and potential to contribute next year as freshmen and all are very solid on the court and in the classroom. We addressed our major concern of adding some size to our program and we have signed three really good front line players. I think this is a class that, down the road, will contribute a great deal to our program."

Altheimer is a 5-10 guard from St. Elizabeth High School in Oakland. He averaged 22.0 points and five assists per game as a junior. He was named to the Alameda Contra Costa Athletic League (ACCAL) all-league squad as a junior. He plays for Bob Howard at St. Elizabeth, which moved into the Bay Shore Athletic League this season.

"Bakari (pronounced BOCK-uh-ree) is a quick, strong point guard with solid skills," said Davey. "He is an excellent decision-maker and is a tremendous leader. He can score, is a good shooter and I think he will be an outstanding player for us down the road."

Borchart is a 6-8 forward/center from Newbury Park, Calif. who attends Chaminade College Prep in West Hills, Calif. He averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds per game as a junior. He plays for Jeff Young at Chaminade Prep and is serves as team captain for the Eagles.

"Scott is a physically strong player who is a mature power forward-type," said Davey. "He has a nice shooting touch. He had excellent coaching in high school and I think he'll adjust quickly to the college game. He is a very strong player who I think can play his way onto the court next year as a freshman."

Tibbets is a 6-10 center/forward from Duncanville, Texas. He averaged 10 points and six rebounds per game as a junior at Duncanville High School. He played behind one of the nation's top seniors in McDonalds All-America selection Brian Boddicker last season. He helped lead the Panthers to the Class 5A state semifinals last season and was a member of the school's state championship squad as a sophomore. He plays for Phil McNeely at Duncanville HS.

"Linden is a 6-9 player who really has good athletic ability, can block shots and can get up and down the court pretty quickly," said Davey. "He is just now coming into his own after playing behind an All-American last year and I think he'll really blossom into a solid player. Like the other guys in our class, he is really solid in the classroom with strong academic credentials."

2000-2001 Santa Clara Men's Basketball Early Signees

Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Class Hometown / Current School
Bakari Altheimer G 5-10 185 Fr-HS Oakland, Calif. / St. Elizabeth's
Scott Borchart F/C 6-8 225 Fr-HS Newbury Park, Calif. / Chaminade Prep
Linden Tibbets C/F 6-10 215 Fr-HS Duncanville, Texas / Duncanville