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Carry On
Tre Mitchell carried his sister, Journee Scott, on his shoulders when he and the new Woodstock Academy boys’ prep basketball squad were introduced at the Moonlight Madness celebration Oct. 7. Photo contributed by Xijing Wang.
Three members of the 2018-19 Woodstock Academy boys’ prep basketball squad recently verbally committed to Division I schools.
Forward Trey Anderson has committed to Indiana State; point guard Noah Fernandes will be a member of the Wichita State Shockers and swing player Mikal Gjerde will play for San Diego State.
Gjerde will have the biggest adjustment as far as the environment is concerned.
The 6-foot, 6-inch player hails from Haugesund, Norway, a town of about 25,000 people on the west coast of the country, and will be heading to the sunshine-baked West Coast.
“That’s weird, right?,” Gjerde said. “I liked everything on my official visit, not just the city. When I picked a school, I wasn’t focused on the city or how beautiful it was, but it was a big plus. I have to earn my minutes as a freshman, but they have big expectations for me.”
Gjerde said the year as a member of the Centaurs will be highly beneficial for his future endeavors. It will give him a chance to learn American basketball.
Fernandez, who hails from the southeast Massachusetts town of Rochester, knew about the Shockers’ reputation for developing guards.
“Eight of coach (Gregg) Marshall’s guards over the last 12 years have been All-Conference which is big for me. For him to recruit me was an honor because he thinks I can follow in those footsteps. I went out Kansas, I wasn’t sure about it, didn’t know what it would be like but I loved it. The people out there love the basketball team. There is no pro teams or anything else out there and that’s really all they have is the college basketball team and it’s like a family there,” Fernandes said.
Anderson, a 6-7 forward from Reynoldsburg, Ohio, will only be about four hours from home when he heads to Larry Bird’s old stomping grounds as a member of the Sycamores.
“It felt like the right fit for me. It felt like home, I loved it there, I will have the opportunity to play right away and the league is great,” Anderson said.
Indiana State plays in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Anderson said he planned to make his decision in April, but made an official visit and decided there was no need to wait.
It will make his year at Woodstock Academy a little more stress free.
“Now, I can just relax, have fun, and play with my teammates,” Anderson said.
One player who is dealing with a little stress is Tre Mitchell.
It’s not if he will be playing in college, it’s where, that is the big question mark.
The 6-9 forward just returned from an official visit to Notre Dame last week.
“It was a great experience. I enjoyed all of it. I like the coaches, I like the guys they have going there. It will come down to what fits best for me,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell, a native of Pittsburgh who lives in Woodstock, will go on an official visit to UConn at the end of this week.
Those are just two of his offers.
He also is being pursued by Xavier, Louisville, Wake Forest, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Seton Hall, Kansas State, Georgia Tech and his hometown college, Pittsburgh, among others.
“Everything is still kind of up in the air. I’m still trying to figure everything out. It’s extremely confusing,” Mitchell said. “I’m just extremely blessed to have as many options as I do. A lot of guys are still fighting for a scholarship and I’ve already earned mine.”
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
The Woodstock Academy