keeler commits

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SoCalHoops Recruiting News

Julius Keeler Commits
To UC Riverside--(Feb. 5, 2002)

We received an e-mail last week from Ollie Goulston, who also happens to be the club coach of Julius Keeler (6'-3" Sr. G/F) from Escondido, letting us know that Keeler had committed to UC Riverside. We were about to report it last week, but somehow got sidetracked with other details, scores and news. But then we came across a small blurb in the San Diego North County Times, and it confirmed the same story:

"Julius Keeler of Escondido High has made a verbal commitment to play basketball next season at UC Riverside. . . .Keeler, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound forward, is averaging 19.2 points a game this season for the No. 10-ranked Cougars. He chose UCR over Pepperdine, Cal Poly-SLO, Northern Arizona, Wichita State, Ohio State and Santa Clara.

``Riverside talked to me a lot,'' Keeler said. ``It's a good academic school, it's close to home and it's building a program.''

The Highlanders are in their first year as an NCAA Division I school this season and are members of the Big West Conference.

Reading the above, we thought, "ok, that's nice for Keeler and for Riverside....a good fit." But then we spotted the following quote in the story:

``The thought of helping build a new program really appealed to me,'' Keeler said. ``They have a new arena on campus, and it's close enough to home that my family and friends can see me play.

Er, um...they have a new arena? Um, tell us again now, to which school did Keeler give a verbal commitment? Are you sure it was UCR, Julius?