Hamilton, NY — Colgate University head men’s basketball coach Emmett Davis has announced that Kyle Roemer from Martinez, California and Peter Minchella from West Lafayette, Indiana, have signed National Letters of Intent.
‘In the past, the national letter of intent signing date has had very little meaning to the Colgate basketball program, but today it signals an exciting new beginning,’ said Davis. ‘We are so pleased to announce the signing of these two outstanding student-athletes who have become the newest members of our Colgate basketball family and the program’s first-ever athletic scholarship recipients.’
Roemer, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard, plays at De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., where last season he averaged 16.7 points and seven rebounds per game and shot 42 percent from the arc. He was named the Bay Valley Athletic League’s Most Valuable Player and was a third team all-Northern California selection.
Roemer made an official visit to Princeton prior to making his final decision to attend Colgate.
‘Kyle is a very skilled basketball player and an excellent shooter,’ states Davis. ‘He is also a strong, physically advanced player who rebounds the ball exceptionally well from the guard position and plays very hard. Kyle has impressed me throughout the recruiting process with his desire, toughness and dedication. I am confident that Kyle will command great respect from his teammates and his opponents from day one. He has played for an outstanding high school coach – Frank Allocco – in a very demanding, winning program at De La Salle. Kyle was our number one prospect at the shooting guard spot going into the fall recruiting period and we are thrilled that he was the first recruit to verbally commit to Colgate and accept our scholarship offer. I am truly excited that Kyle has decided to join our Colgate family and inaugurate our scholarship efforts at Colgate.’
Minchella, a 6-foot-10, 220-pounder, plays at William Henry Harrison High School, where he was first team all-Hoosier Crossroads Conference last season, while averaging 10 points, seven rebounds and three blocks per game. He has been ranked the 11th best player in Indiana’s Class of 2004 by Hoosierland Report, and 16th by Indiana Basketball News.
Minchella considered several scholarship offers and made an official visit to Stanford as a junior and visited Bowling Green officially earlier this fall.
‘Peter performed very well at the prestigious NIKE summer basketball camp this past July and caught our immediate attention,’ Davis said. ‘He possesses a great feel for the game. We think Peter has a bright future ahead of him at Colgate. He is a very skilled 6’10’ player who runs the floor extremely well, has great hands, scores well around the basket and is adept at blocking shots. He also has a large frame that can easily carry some additional weight without hindering his excellent mobility. Peter has had the good fortune to play for an outstanding coach, Jeff VanArsdel, in the state of Indiana, which is known for its basketball excellence. He has been well schooled in the fundamentals of the game, which will help him immensely with his transition from high school to Division I college basketball. We are excited about Peter and we look forward to coaching him over the next four years’.
These two players are the first basketball scholarship athletes to sign with Colgate, which recently announced that it would begin offering athletic scholarships beginning with the class entering in fall 2004.