College Commitment – Hank Lomber (2027 Valley Catholic)

As the start of season approaches, more of this year's senior class is deciding to play out their final year of high school basketball without having to worry about their recruitment. Add Hank Lomber Hank Lomber 6'6" | SF/SG Valley Catholic | 2027 State OR to the early decision list as the lanky 6-foot-4 swingman from Valley Catholic recently announced that he'll be staying home and playing his college basketball at Warner Pacific.

For Lomber, the decision all came down to love he felt on some recent visits made to the southeast Portland campus. "I would say that going to the open gym and meeting Coach (Ty) Macon and Coach Johnny (Canalin) and how nice all the players were," Lomber said. "And then going back for a practice and meeting coach (Jeff) Drinkwine and what a nice guy he is and seeing the standard that he holds his players to was the tipping point where I was like I wanna go here."

While watching practice, Lomber also felt the right fit in terms of style and how he could be an immediate contributor. "They play pretty fast paced, pretty similar to what Coach (Bryan) Fraser had us do at Valley so I think I can fit in pretty well to that, just being a threat from all over and attacking in transition," Lomber said. "I can see myself having a pretty good role I think I can compete for minutes right away, the biggest thing for me is putting on weight."

Lomber chose Warner Pacific after also looking at Corban, Pacific Lutheran, Pacific, Lewis & Clark, and Willamette. With his recruitment done, he now looks ahead to his senior season, one in which the Valiants are coming off a 3A title but will take on the challenge of moving up a classification. "My expectations for my team is making it to Forest Grove and competing for the 4a chip," Lomber said. "It's going to take guys buying in to their roles and trusting Coach Fraser and each other."

Our congratulations go out to Lomber and his family on his decision.