utah gets goettsche

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SoCalHoops Recruiting News

UCSB Gets Commitment From
Utah Transfer Goettsche--(June 24, 2002)

We noticed this one last week in our daily review of the local newspapers, but didn't have a lot of time to post it or to pass along the article from the Santa Barbara News-Press written by Mark Patton, that paper's sports editor. If you don't want to take the time to read the article, the gist of the story is that Cameron Goettsche (6'-7" Fr. F/C) who was recruited by Rick Majerus at Utah, and who redshirted there last season, has committed to sign a national letter of intent with UCSB next fall. Goettsche will attend Salt Lake City College next season and will play there during the 2002-03 season. As correctly noted by Patton, had Goettsche simply transferred to UCSB directly, he would be required to sit out a year. However, if he plays at SLCC, he will use up a year of eligibility, and thus he will still have three years to play when he eventually enrolls at UCSB for the 2003-2004 season, much the same as Brandon Brooks has done at USC.

In another unrelated note about UCSB basketball, we wanted to pass along the news that we heard about a month ago (in case we've forgotten to mention it), and that is that JJ Todd's playing days at UCSB are apparently over, shortened by an injury to his back which has required surgery (actually a similar injury to the one suffered by Cecil Brown, which caused Cecil to use a red-shirt year last season). We haven't seen JJ (or his parents) to speak with about his status, but we have seen Cecil playing at a few gyms around the San Fernando Valley and he looks to be in pretty solid shape and should help the Gauchos next season.

Lastly, for those who want the long version of the story about Goettsche, it should still be posted on the Santa Barbara News-Press website's sports section; in the event it's not, we'll share it with you for posterity here (remember, "fair use" and all that good legal mumbo-jumbo). Spend 50 cents, buy the paper and support their website advertising....

Gauchos get Utah transfer
6/21/02

By MARK PATTON NEWS-PRESS SPORTS EDITOR

Cameron Goettsche, a 6-foot-8 forward from the University of Utah, announced Thursday his verbal commitment to play basketball for UCSB beginning in the 2003-04 season.

Goettsche, who redshirted last year for the Utes, plans to play at Salt Lake City College next season but will sign a national letter of intent with the Gauchos in November.

"I'm really excited about it -- I wish I were coming to play this year," said Goettsche, who would be required to sit out a year if he transferred directly to an NCAA Division 1 university.

"I pretty much like the whole package there," he continued. "I really like the coaching staff, the basketball program is great, and the campus environment where it's located makes it amazing."

Goettsche was UCSB's No. 1 post recruit when he was an all-state player for Thunder Ridge High School in Highlands Ranch, Colo. He averaged 18.4 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists while shooting 68.4 percent from the field.

He opted for Utah after having narrowed his choices to Oregon, Marquette, Wyoming and UCSB, with Utes coach Rick Majerus saying that his "athletic ability and good work ethic give him a great upside."

Goettsche suffered a knee injury, however, and wound up redshirting last year, undergoing arthroscopic surgery at the end of the season.

"I'm recovering from that now," he said, "but I'm doing really well with it."

He decided to transfer from Utah at the end of the season even though he was projected to be the Utes' first post player off the bench next season.

"I just wasn't happy there, pretty much," Goettsche said. "It was a combination of a lot of different things, and I didn't see myself being there another four years."

He didn't get to watch the Gauchos on television when they played Arizona in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, having made the trip with Utah to its own NCAA regional.

"We were playing Indiana on TV at the same time as UCSB," Goettsche noted. "But for whatever it's worth, my parents turned off our game to watch the Santa Barbara game. I thought it was pretty funny when they told me."

A great all-around athlete, Goettsche played six sports in high school -- soccer, baseball, football, track and volleyball as well as basketball. He was a standout goalkeeper for Thunder Ridge's state championship soccer team, and was recruited to play that sport as well as basketball by Yale University.

He is expected to help replace All-Big West Conference forward Mark Hull as a combo forward for the Gauchos. "My coach at Salt Lake Community College (Norm Parish) plans to have me play the 2 as well as the 3 and 4 spots," said Goettsche, "so I'm going to get to do a lot of guard stuff and be prepared to play the 3 at UCSB."