Clavell commits to CSU

Some thought CSU was done with the 2014 hoops class when Daniel Mulamba verbally committed to the Rams over the weekend. Less than a week later, the Rams added another potential hidden gem when shooting guard Gian Luis Clavell verbally committed to Colorado State.

Clavell, a slender 6-foot-3 guard from Goodland (Kan.) Northwest Technical College, chose the Rams over offers from Boise State, Northern Colorado, Rhode Island, Stephen F. Austin, Missouri-Kansas City, Utah State, UTEP, and Western Kentucky.

"I feel like it's the right place for me," Clavell said of Colorado State. "I feel good about the coaches, I feel good about the players. They have a good roster and a good team. I'm just trying to make the NCAA Tournament and be as good as I can be as a player."

Clavell, a native of Caguas, Puerto Rico, played some of his high school ball in Puerto Rico and won a state championship before moving to Miami and winning another state championship at Hialeah Gardens High School. He also played for the Miami Tropics AAU club team, where he met his current coach at NTC, Jase Herl, at a tournament in Las Vegas.

The athletic scorer averaged 19.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and four assists as a freshman for NTC last year. He said CSU assistant Ross Hodge, who was his primary recruiter from CSU, was elated to hear of his commitment Thursday night.

"Oh he was excited… I mean, he was just so excited. That's the only word I can say," Clavell said. "We've built a good relationship. I just feel so comfortable with him when I was visiting. He always calls me. When he came here, we took a walk. I went on an official visit and everything he talked about I liked so much. I feel so comfortable with him; That's one of the reasons I went with them."

He said the entire team made him feel at home while he was on an unofficial visit for the Rams' Homecoming football game against San Jose State.

"I felt really good about the visit. I thought the players and coaches were great. I saw the gym and I liked everything."

Clavell also visited Boise State before deciding on Colorado State. He will sign with CSU next month for the early signing period and graduate in May, so he plans on arriving in Fort Collins next summer as a true junior.

A lengthy scoring guard, Clavell can also handle the ball and is effective off the dribble as both a shooter and in creating his own shots around the rim. With limited highlight film available online to see, he talked about what he believes his strengths to be.

"I can score the ball. That's what I do is score the ball. I shoot good three-pointers, I can do mid-range, I go to the basket, which is where I like to score. I can play really good defense and just be a leader on the court. That's one of the best attributes I have."

Clavell said his coach, Jase Herl, had heard extensively from Texas Tech and Memphis recently, but neither came through with an offer.

"I know they had really high interest in me. I can't say if they offered me, but I know they had really high interest in me," he explained.

Clavell is the third commitment to CSU's class of 2014, joining Mulamba and Aurora (Colo.) Rangeview guard Jeremiah Paige.