Commitment Catchup (D-I)
It’s April which means college commitments are starting to ramp up. This takes place at all levels of college basketball, but recently some moves were made at the D-I level for players both current and past from the Oregon prep ranks. Here’s a breakdown of what has taken place.
Marley Zeller Marley Zeller 6'5" | SF Central Catholic | 2024 State OR (2024 Central Catholic) has committed to Loyola Marymount. Zeller had originally signed early in the fall with Pepperdine, but received his release and re-opened his recruitment after the Waves and head coach Lorenzo Romar parted ways. It didn’t take him too long to find a new spot and after taking a visit to campus, he announced that he’s now committed to Loyola Marymount. It so happens that Romar is now an assistant with the Lions and that certainly played a role for the Central Catholic senior to follow him there, but it wasn’t the only reason.
“Romar was definitely a factor in my decision, but I also really liked (LMU head coach) Stan Johnson,” Zeller said. “I like his energy, competitiveness, and how he carries himself. LMU has a lot of resources to use in their program as well. I like the location, the living situation, and the weather. I also got to meet the whole team while I was down there. I like all of the players and their attitudes, I’ve only heard great things about the program/school. And in terms of competitiveness, I think LMU is going to be very good these next couple of seasons and I will be able to push my self, compete for minutes, and most of all win games.”
Zeller heads to LMU having won plenty of games, having help lead the Rams to the 6A state title, averaging 15.1 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting over 44 percent from the three-point line. He earned 6A First Team All-Tournament and was recently named 6A First Team All-State.
Raysean Seamster (2022 Roosevelt/Eastern Arizona JC) announced this week that he’ll be signing with Texas-Arlington. The former Roughrider had earned plenty of D-I recruiting attention the past two seasons in junior college at Eastern Arizona, but decided on the Mavericks while on campus for an official visit with his father and brother Deray. Since helping Roosevelt reach the 6A State Tournament in 2022, the lanky and athletic forward has excelled with the Gila Monsters, scoring over 1000 points in two seasons and earning First Team All-Conference and All-Region honors this past season in 2023-24.
“The coaching staff was great and when I went on my visit, they told me what they needed and what they didn’t need,” Seamster said at his signing day news conference at Eastern Arizona. “I’ve known (assistant) coach (Jeremy) Pope for four years now and he always said he wanted to coach me, so I finally pulled the trigger.
Devon Malcolm (2022 South Medford/Yuba JC) will be continuing his college career at Cal Baptist. The high-flying 6-foot-4 swingman helped lead South Medford to a fourth place finish at the 2022 6A State Tournament and further developed his game at the JC level these past two seasons. In 2023-24, Malcolm averaged 16.2 points and 6.7 rebounds while helping lead the team to a conference title and a Final Four finish at the California State Tournament.
Who could be the next current or former Oregon prep to commit to the D-I level? All eyes right now may be on Terrence Hill Jr Terrence Hill Jr 6'3" | PG Roosevelt | 2024 State #183 Nation OR (2024 Roosevelt). Previously signed with Utah State, the star Roughriders guard decommitted after Aggies head coach Danny Sprinkle made the move to the University of Washington. Could Hill potentially follow him to Seattle or is there a different destination on the horizon. It should be an interesting situation to monitor as he gets set to team up with his fellow Oregon seniors at the Northwest Shootout on April 15.