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JAson Conrad 6\'11" commits to PSU

J

jdhog45

Active member
Vikings Land a Big
OregonPreps.com Staff


During the summer, Jason Conrad made a trip up to the Rose City and got a chance to look around. The developing 6-foot-11, 215-pound post from Gilroy High School in California liked what he saw and as it turns out, he'll be coming back. He's going to making an official visit to Portland State at the end of the month, and will be doing so as a verbal pledge to the Vikings.

"I committed to Portland State today," Conrad said on Friday afternoon. "Coach (Ken) Bone came last Monday on a visit to my house and everything went really good. They have the major I'm looking for, and I like the area and the coaching staff. It's a perfect fit."

Conrad fell in love with Portland when he came up in the summer - which interestingly enough happened to be to the University of Portland's Elite Camp. He had been considering the Pilots, along with the likes of Pacific, Northern Arizona, and numerous other schools on the West Coast, but PSU made their push and he liked everything he heard.

"I like the city," Conrad said. "The coaches seem great from talking to them, and they have the art program that I want to do. The program is going nowhere but up, and that's good. Hopefully I can help."

A big man who has grown several inches just in the past few years, Conrad has been trying to keep up with his rapid growth in terms of his body and his skills. He understands there's still plenty of work to do if he's to contribute sooner rather than later at the Big Sky level for PSU, but is more than ready to put in the time.

"Hopefully I can put on some weight and improve (this season)," Conrad said. "Then we're going to see where I'm at."

Conrad is Portland State's first commitment from the Class of 2008.
 
BKYGHS_stretch_mej030506.jpg

Jason Conrad's outstretched arm makes Milpitas's Bryan Wilson think twice about taking a shot during Saturday's quarterfinal playoff game at Independence High School in San Jose. Having to shoot around Conrad helped to keep Gilroy competitive in the game against the dominant Milpitas team.
 
ManOfVision said:
Nice to see him picking PSU in part because of the city and the school's academics.
Click to expand...

No doubt.

"They have the major I'm looking for..."

How often do you hear that nowadays? It appears Jason Conrad has it all figured out at this point. :-)
 
You'd hope so, but a lot of recruit interviews mention the business schools, then miraculously the guys don't go to class.

It looks like this guy is a project offensively, but he's a solid rebounder and defender. I hope he redshirts and puts on some weight and post moves.
 
http://www.gilroydispatch.com/sports/contentview.asp?c=226101


Conrad Picks Portland State


Sep 27, 2007
By Josh Koehn

Gilroy - Jason Conrad isn't a fan of the waiting game. So on Friday the 6-foot-11-inch senior basketball standout for Gilroy High School decided to make a verbal commitment to play basketball at Portland State next year.
Weighing offers from the University of Portland, Pacific, Northern Arizona, Arkansas - Little Rock and Northern Kentucky, Conrad said PSU's campus, coach and classes fit with his goals as a student-athlete, making it an easy decision to become a Viking.

"I wanted to stay on the West Coast," he said. "So, this is a good fit for me."

He also said a visit over the summer from Viking head coach Ken Bone helped seal the deal.

"Coach Bone made a home visit, and just telling me everything that they had to offer and everything they're doing with the program - that was pretty much when I knew."

For a player that just started hitting the hardwood five years ago and was 5'8" entering high school, the growth in game and stature has been meteoric.

"I think he's a player that has a lot of upside," GHS coach Bud Ogden said. "He's only been playing since eighth grade, for five years. He's an all-around athlete ... He's a great kid, extremely coachable. He's gone through a lot of (growing) pain and worked hard. He's a very deserving kid."

"Yeah, it hurt," Conrad admitted when talking about his growth spurts. "This season will be the first season that I haven't had knee problems from growing. I can jump higher now so that's good."

According to Conrad and Ogden, GHS assistant coach Jeremy Dirks played an instrumental role in the recruiting process, acting as liaison between the player and interested schools.

"I went out of my way to make sure Jason and Spencer (Ford), from last year, had opportunities," Dirks said, noting that Ford will be a freshman at UC Santa Barbara this season.

"I was a big fan of Portland State from the get-go," Dirks added. "They've been recruiting him for a year and a half. A lot of schools have been 'Johnny-come-latelys' in the last six months. (Portland State) also had the right major."

Conrad agreed that academics played a big part in his decision. He plans on getting a degree in art, with a possible emphasis on design.

Bone, a former assistant under Lorenzo Romar at Washington, is entering his second year as coach of PSU and looks to be moving the program in the right direction, according to Dirks.

Conrad said the coach already has plans to utilize his unique skill set, which wasn't always the case with other schools.

"(He said) that I'm going to be a versatile player, that they run plays for big men," Conrad said. "I got a call from Seattle University saying, 'Oh, yeah, I don't know how you are, but you know, we're not gonna give the ball to our big men.' And I'm like, 'Why are you calling then?' "

A big recruiting push came Conrad's way after playing well in AAU tournaments over the summer.

"I worked at a camp in Kansas that I did really good at, I went to (Las) Vegas and L.A. twice," Conrad said. "I went with the Mitty High School team because (UCLA-bound) Drew Gordon got hurt so I filled in for him. That helped a lot. I did really good at that."

While it's quite possible Conrad could have received offers from larger schools had he performed well this upcoming season, he said the risk of injury and the importance placed on being wanted were the deciding factors.

"Now I can just concentrate on school more," he said.
 
Art and Design is a little more specific than business. Maybe he is focusing on the academics. This article can only make you more excited about his prospects with the progress he has made.
 
Update:

Jason Conrad is one of three players who have signed an NLI to attend Chico State beginning in the fall.

http://www.chicowildcats.com/news/2009/4/24/MBB_0424090449.aspx

Not sure what the real story was on this kid. I saw him at the Stott Center several times last season. I hope he does well at Chico St.
 
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