The last thing Geoff Groselle expected to do when he left Texas to visit Creighton on Friday was to head back home as a Bluejay recruit.

But that's exactly what happened as the 6-foot-11 center from Plano West High School gave Creighton coach Greg McDermott his oral commitment on Saturday night.

Groselle said he had scholarship offers from around 20 schools, including Iowa, Iowa State, Colorado, Utah, Houston and Southern Methodist. He had made unofficial visits to Texas, Texas A&M, SMU, Utah and The Citadel, where his older brother, Mike, plays basketball.

Creighton was Groselle's first official visit.

“I had some others scheduled, and I never expected to commit when I came to Creighton,'' Groselle said. “But I just fell in love with the place. I loved everything about it — the fans, the players, the coaches.''

And especially the academics.

“It's No. 1 in the Midwest,'' said Groselle, referring to Creighton's ranking in the annual ratings conducted by U.S. News and World Report. “You can't get any better than that.''

On the court, Groselle is ranked No. 21 in TexasHoops' ratings of high school players in the state. Plano West coach Anthony Morgan said Groselle averaged about 13 points and 9 rebounds per game last season as a junior.

“We had a solid team, a balanced scoring team,'' said Morgan, referring to the squad that included Jackson Jeffcoat, a highly regarded Texas football recruit who also could play basketball for the Longhorns. “We'll see how it works this year. We're looking for big things out of Geoff.''

Morgan said Groselle's strengths include his ability to run the floor and his mid-range shooting ability.
“What appealed to a lot of schools is that Geoff has a great motor on him,'' Morgan said. “He gets up and down the floor. He runs the floor well and he posts up well. He's also 6-11 and left-handed. That's a rare breed.''

Groselle said he has primarily been a back-to-the-basket player but is looking to expand his game.
“I'd like to become more of a face-up player,'' he said. “To do that, I'm going to have to improve my ball-handling. And I know I'm going to need to get bigger and stronger. Guys in college are a lot stronger than what I'm used to in high school.''

Groselle learned that first hand while playing some pick-up games during his visit. He found himself matched up against Greg Echenique, the Bluejays' 6-9, 260-pound sophomore.

“He's a big boy,'' Groselle said. “It's going to be great to work with him the next two years. He's going to make me a lot better.''

Creighton assistant coach Steve Lutz was the primary recruiter with Groselle. The two first got to know each other when Lutz was at SMU.

“He made this a lot more comfortable,'' Groselle said. “I just felt that I could trust that he would take care of me there.''

Contact the writer:

679-2298, steve.pivovar@owh.com

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