todd signs with UC

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SoCalHoops Recruiting News

Jon Todd Selects The UC.....No, The Other UC...
As In Chicago--(Apr. 25, 2002)

Jon Todd (6'-8" Sr. PF), of West Hills Chaminade Prep, has committed to the University of Chicago. Todd told us last weekend at the Rockfish playoffs that he was going to opt for the D-III U of Chicago (which probably is most famous for having been the location where the Manhattan Project did some critical work under the stands at the football stadium, as well as the fact that the school once abandoned football entirely during the 60's and 70's). Jon and his family confirmed the decision last night at the Valley Sports Foundation banquet for the "Battle of the Valley All-Star" which he attended with a number of other top San Fernando Valley region players.

Todd, who played travel basketball for the Los Angeles Rockfish, was an All-CIF and All-Mission League selection from West Hills Chaminade, and is the brother of current UCSB player J.J. Todd (6'-11" So. C). Jon was also nominated this year as a McDonald's All-American nominee, and from what we've been seeing of him at the RSL these past few months, he's going to be a huge impact player in the UAA Conference next season. He told us that he's looking forward to playing and studying at the University of Chicago: "The environment is really great there; it's a top academic school, in a fantastic city. The team plays a national travel schedule, almost better in terms of travel than a lot of Division I conferences, so I'm looking forward to that, especially the trips to New York and Boston."

The University of Chicago is in the 8-team University Athletic Confernence, a national conference formed by some of the most prestigious national research universities in the country in 1986. Looking at the travel the teams in this conference get to do, Jon is right to be looking forward to some great trips during his college career, as well as being an instant impact player. For example, Chicago gets to travel to St. Louis (Washington University), to Pittsburgh (Carnegie Mellon University), to Boston (Brandeis University), to New York City (NYU), to Atlanta (Emory), to Rochester (University of Rochester), and to Cleveland (Case Western Reserve University). And best of all, both the women's and the men's teams travel together, which must make for some interesting parties and social events before and after the games. "I'm really looking forward to this aspect of my future college career," Jon told us with a big smile. He has not yet decided on a major.

Again, for those who want to see him one last time in a Chaminade uniform, he'll be playing in the Battle of the Valley All-Star game which will be held this Saturday night (April 27, 2002) at Cal State Northridge at 6:00 p.m. (that's the start time for the girls' game; 8:00 p.m. for the boys' game). Both games will be televised live on Channel 36 on most cable systems (Aldelphia for sure) in and around Los Angeles and carried on broadcast channel KLCS 36, the LA City School station.