From Chicago Sun Times on Angel Garcia's Commitment

Garcia commits to Memphis

September 3, 2007
By Mike Hutton, Chicago Sun Times

In recent weeks, coaches from Kentucky, Arizona and Ohio State had called Angel Garcia, trying to get involved with the East Chicago Central star. Garcia, tired of the phone calls and the recruiting process, decided he had had enough over the weekend. So he called Memphis coach John Calipari and put and end to his recruitment. He’s going to wear blue next year and play for the Tigers.

“He just wanted to put all this behind him and concentrate on his academics and basketball,” Eric Cole, who coaches CAPS All-Stars, Garcia’s AAU team.

No team had recruited Garcia harder than Memphis. Calipari saw him in an open gym last October and offered him a scholarship immediately.

Recently, Garcia had whittled his choices down from Florida, Louisville, Indiana and Memphis to just Indiana and Memphis. Cole said the Hoosiers went after Garcia, who has yet to qualify academically, just as hard as Memphis. But he felt like he fit in better with the Tigers’ wide-open style.

They haven’t pegged Garcia as an inside or outside guy. At 6-10, Garcia distributes the ball like a point guard. He can also grab a rebound inside and whip it out to a streaking perimeter player like a power forward or center.

Garcia familiarized himself with the Tigers’ program last June when he spent three days down there at a an elite camp.

“They’re going to let him freelance,” Cole said.

Garcia, who is ranked as the 27th best player in the country by Rivals.com, scored 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds in East Chicago’s 87-83 win over Indianapolis North Central in the Class 4A state championship.

Contact Mike Hutton at 648-3139 or mhutton@post-trib.com