College Commitment: Jonah Zeller (2021 Catlin Gabel)
Had he waited more opportunities may have come along. But Jonah Zeller Jonah Zeller 6'9" | C Catlin Gabel | 2021 State OR saw no reason to waste any time. Concordia-St. Paul was the first school to offer the 6-foot-10 post from Catlin Gabel and after the senior made a campus visit over the summer, he recently decided that the Golden Bears would earn his signature on a letter-of-intent during the early signing period.
“It’s a D-II school but it’s a high-level D-II school and I’m super excited about going there,” Zeller said. “I was able to visit it during the summer and I really liked the campus and the town. I’m excited about that.”
Zeller certainly enjoyed what he saw of the school and area but basketball certain played into the decision as well. Thanks to connections to the coaching staff from both his high school coach Tim Whittle and International Elite AAU coach Brandon Bell, he got a good feel for what the hoops program was all about. And when Zeller and the Concordia-St. Paul talked shop, he liked what he heard.
“The coaches definitely talked about playing me like not so much with my back to the basket but more like outside but still going inside sometimes,” Zeller said. “The way they described how they wanted to involve me in their offense just kind of fit with how I wanted to play. I just thought it was the right place.”
The commitment comes after a summer where Zeller competed at a high level with International Elite. While he’s always been a solid perimeter shooter, he was an anchor in the paint on both ends, showing some tough post moves on offense while blocking shots on defense.
“I definitely think it was good to play against some good competition and I felt like I was able to improve,” Zeller said. “I feel like I was able to, just kinda throughout the tournament play, I definitely feel like my play gradually improved. The coaching helped with that and the mentality that the coaches had with us. With the team I was the big man and that’s where I would help the team out the most.”
With summer ball over and his commitment in the books, Zeller now looks forward to his senior season with the Eagles. “I just want to be able to, like, develop my confidence more and be able to be confident putting the ball on the floor and attacking the basket more,” Zeller said.
Zeller currently ranks as the #27 player in the PrepHoops Oregon Class of 2021 rankings.