A senior high school center from Longview, Washington has made a verbal commitment to play basketball for the Montana Grizzlies, according to an article in Scout.com, a college basketball magazine/webzine.
Eric Hutchinson, a 6-8 senior center for the Mark Morris High School Monarchs of Longview, Washington, is said to have chosen Wayne Tinkle’s Grizzlies over several other western region schools.
The Scout.com article, by the magazine’s west coast analyst, Greg Hicks, portrays the young center as having, “... a solid frame, good feet, nice skills and a willingness to bang inside.”
“He should be a terrific player down the road for Montana,” wrote Hicks.
Hutchinson was reportedly recruited by several Big Sky Conference schools along with several others from the Big West and West Coast conferences.
Hutchinson is currently ranked as 2-star prospect by scout.com and was one of two high school players singled-out for outstanding play during a high school tournament called “Rumble In The Bay,” at Santa Clara, California in May.
Hutchinson’s performance earned him praise as a potential high major prospect with a solid low post game.
The College Recruting section of ESPN.com gives Hutchinson a rating of 85, comparing him to Cal big man Taylor Harrison and credits Hutchinson as one of the top 10 post prospects on the west coast. Read the full ESPN profile on Hutchinson here.
In March, Hutchinson led the Monarchs to his school’s fifth-straight Southwest Washington 2A District title, scoring 17 points in a 58-46 win over River Ridge H. S. Details of that game, and an interview with Hutchinson, here.
The Monarchs placed third in the 2008 Washington State boys 2A basketball tourney.
One other high school senior, Chris Harriel -- a 6-3 guard from San Jacinto, California -- was mentioned by the online magazine. Harriel recently made a verbal commitment to play for the Portland State Vikings.
