Signing Day | Tacoma's Abdul Gaddy a prize for UW basketball

A year when the state of Washington provided another fertile crop of college basketball recruits inevitably meant only a few could stay home.

Ultimately, when all the letters of intent were finally signed, sealed and delivered Friday, the Washington Huskies got two. Add "only" at your own risk.

To UW coach Lorenzo Romar, two was more than enough.

"I couldn't be happier with who we got," Romar said. "I could not be happier."

The two in-state players include one currently playing out of the area — 6-foot-7 forward Clarence Trent, formerly of Gig Harbor High and now at The Patterson School in Lenoir, N.C. The other is 6-3 point guard Abdul Gaddy of Tacoma's Bellarmine Prep, generally considered among the top point guards in the country.

The Huskies got Gaddy late in the recruiting process after he opted out of his commitment to Arizona when Lute Olson retired for health reasons.

"If not for that, he would have been at Arizona," Romar said.

Of the circumstances in getting Gaddy, Romar said: "The end result once it was over, we obviously benefited from it. But if it's your choice, you don't want a situation to happen the way it did with coach Olson."

But it did, and the Huskies pounced, knowing others would if they didn't — UCLA was also in the picture.

"He's one of the best point guards to come around in a long, long time," Romar said.

The other two players UW signed are 6-9 forward Charles Garcia of Riverside (Calif.) Community College and 6-5 guard C.J. Wilcox of Pleasant Grove, Utah.

Garcia is expected to help fill the void created by the graduation of Jon Brockman after this season. Romar called Wilcox one of the best shooters in the country and said he adds good balance to the class, which features a point guard, shooting guard and two versatile forwards. Trent, Romar said, is a highlight reel waiting to happen and also is capable of defending multiple positions.

Gaddy, considered the best prospect in the state in his class, gives the Huskies another big in-state victory, something Romar has made a habit of with Brockman, Spencer Hawes and Isaiah Thomas.

"From day one we have always maintained we wanted to keep the best talent here," Romar said. "We always said that and I really believe that we have done a decent job of doing that. Obviously there are some that aren't here. But I like the ones we have."

Seattle U. signees

Seattle University received letters of intent from Bainbridge High's Ben Eisenhardt and Alex Jones, from Scottsdale Community College in Arizona.

Eisenhardt, a 6-10 center, averaged 13.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 1.3 steals as a junior. He was selected second-team All-Metro League and led the Spartans to a 14-10 record. Bainbridge was eliminated in the first round of the Sea-King District tournament.

As a sophomore, Eisenhardt helped Bainbridge to the Class 3A state championship game, where it lost to O'Dea.

"Ben is a unique student-athlete," SU coach Joe Callero said in a news release. "At 6-10, he can run and shoot like a 6-3 guard. He will be versatile and enjoyable to watch develop over the next five years."

Jones, a 6-9 forward, will have two years of eligibility remaining when he arrives next season.

"Alex is a diamond on and off the court," Callero said. "He grew four inches while attending college in Arizona. He has good speed and can rebound and block shots at the D-I level."

Staff reporter Percy Allen

contributed to this article.