Thursday, Jun. 25, 2009
College Basketball: Cal Poly Mustangs appear to have landed another big man in Texas high grad
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closeJoe Callero had been shooting for another big man, and it looks like he’s got one.
Ryan Pembleton, a 6-foot-10 high school graduate from Frisco, Texas, said he’s chosen to attend Cal Poly and play basketball for the new men’s coach next season.
Originally committed to Army, Pembleton said he made the decision earlier this month to look for another school instead of continuing with the enrollment process at West Point.
“I had been rethinking it kind of before that,” said Pembleton, who gave a verbal commitment to the Black Knights during the early signing period in the fall but said he never signed a letter of intent.
The period for Pembleton to sign with Cal Poly has passed, but Pembleton said he had an unofficial visit at the school this past weekend and verbally committed on site.
NCAA rules prohibit Callero from commenting on unsigned recruits or confirming the unofficial visit, but the former Seattle coach has previously said he was hoping to bring in another big man.
“We still would like to find one, possibly two more post players,” Callero said. “One, we’re looking for a long-term project, a true five man with some good length, somebody that might be in the program for 4-5 years, the right fit academically. We’ll go anywhere we have to go to find that kid.”
Pembleton could fill that void.
He set the Frisco High program record for blocked shots with 130 in 30 games, according to his dad, Bob Pembleton, and has an 85-inch wingspan and 30-inch vertical leap.
Coming in just a bit taller than 6-10, Pembleton weighs only about 200 pounds and scored between six and seven points per game his senior season, averaging around seven rebounds.
“I characterize myself as a mobile big man, decent athleticism, good for my size defending,” said Pembleton, who said he was an all-defensive team pick for his district. “Offensively, I’m developing and still working on that, gaining weight.”
Born in Maryland, Pembleton said his dad’s occupation in the technology industry has moved the family between Texas, Arkansas and Georgia.
Bob Pembleton came away impressed with San Luis Obispo and Cal Poly, a school he mostly knew for the tragic 1960 plane crash that killed 16 members of the Mustangs’ football team and six others.
“The coaching staff, because it’s all brand new, is terrific,” Bob Pembleton said. “They’re rebuilding a program, so it’s particularly appealing to Ryan.”
Callero said Jonathan Gunderson, who redshirted last season after transferring from Santa Clara, has left the program, and Bo Henning, a redshirt sophomore from Christian Brothers High in Sacramento, has asked for his release and is looking to transfer.
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