EUGENE, Ore. – Fourth-year Head Coach Corey Anderson announced on Tuesday that Bishop Gorman High School (Las Vegas) basketball star Jovani “Gio” Guzman has forgone an offer from Florida International University to sign a letter of intent with Northwest Christian University for the 2012-2013 season.
Head Coach Corey Anderson said, “Gio will come in and immediately add great experience and depth at the point guard position. He is the consummate quarterback on the floor. His big game experience and proven ability to lead and play with high level talent will aid us in our continued growth on and off the floor.”
Guzman had originally made a verbal commitment in March to play at Florida International, shortly after making an original visit to Northwest Christian University. He had looked forward to playing for 12-time NBA All-Star Isaiah Thomas at FIU, but when Thomas was let go from the Panthers on April 6th, the 5’10” point guard was free to explore other options. That search led him to back to Eugene, where he fell in love with the program.
“My decision to sign with the Beacons had to do with the way I was treated from day one,” said Guzman. “Coach Anderson brought my family and I in with open arms. From the very beginning he made me feel like I would be coming to a home away from home, making me feel very comfortable. I brought my mom on a second visit and once she felt the welcoming atmosphere and generosity that everyone had towards me, I knew I couldn’t turn down an offer like this.”
“Gio is the first kid that I ever had to recruit twice,” said Anderson. “While his original decision to go with Coach Thomas and DI Florida International was completely understandable, and supported by me, I’m obviously very pleased with the outcome this time around.”
As for leaving behind a scholarship offer from an NCAA Division I school, Guzman said, “I got my DI offer, but I knew I still had to make decisions that were best for me and not for everyone else. Once I put all that together, the decision became easy.”
Guzman is a well established point guard in the truest sense of the position and was ranked as the best available point guard on the West Coast by Chad Groth of Area Code Sports. He dished out 223 assist to lead the entire state of Nevada as a senior, averaging 7.2 per game while helping to lead the Gaels to a 28-4 record and their second state championship in three years. Bishop-Gorman finished the 2012 season ranked #11 in the nation in the final ESPN High School Basketball Poll.
Guzman played alongside a number of NCAA Division I recruits including Shabazz Muhammad (UCLA), the number one ranked high school player in the nation, Stanford recruit Roscoe Allen, and Oregon signee Ben Carter.
“He really is the ultimate team player,” said Grant Rice, Bishop Gorman’s boy’s varsity head basketball coach, “He’s steady with the basketball and doesn’t make mistakes. He’s not scared to mix it up with the big guys. Sure, the big guys get the spotlight, but you need guys like Gio to run the team and distribute the ball. He was a big part of our team.”
Anderson said, “Being able to land a recruit from Bishop Gorman is great for us. Having played a more ‘national’ schedule, Gio comes in with the experience of big games with a lot of atmosphere. Nothing that he sees or feels at our level will be new to him.”
Coming off a ninth-place finish in the Cascade Collegiate Conference last season, the Beacons are putting the pieces together to turn things around quickly. Guzman said, “I feel that the team is being built in the right direction and is moving forward. With all the pieces that Coach Anderson is filling in, I believe that we will have a strong team for the next four years and a strong winning record. We are going to be ready to compete and win a lot of games.