BYU has signed a pair of high school stars to its women's basketball team, including a highly touted guard from Wasatch High in Heber City.

Signing with the Cougars are Wasatch's Kim Parker and Stephanie Vermunt, a 6-0 forward from Alberta, Canada.

"We're excited to have these two outstanding student-athletes join our program," said coach Jeff Judkins. "Both will fit in with our program and will be a big part of our team."

Parker, 5-11, led the Wasps to the 3A state title last season. In her junior year, she averaged 14.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 3.9 steals and 2.0 blocks. She's a two-time First Team All State and a two-time All-Region honoree and was named to last year's State Championship All-Tournament Team.

"Kim is the best player out of the state of Utah and has been playing on a winning program," added Judkins. "She's a tough, solid player, a good rebounder and passer, shoots the ball well outside, and a versatile player."

Vermunt prepped at Bert Church High School. She has been a member of the NSD (National Sports Development) for the past two years. In July 2008, she was recognized as one of Canada's top under 18 year old players. Vermunt was also part of the U18 Canada Junior Women's National Team that qualified for the 2009 FIBA U19 World Championship for Women. In August of 2008, she garnered NSD Athlete of the Month honors.

It's not often that a smaller Utah high school such as Grantsville High boasts a potential Division I football recruit. But the Cowboys may have one this year in 6-foot-4, 200-pound linebacker Austin Gumucio.

The hard-hitting Gumucio is still waiting for his first D-1 offer, but already BYU, SUU and Weber State have show interest. He visited BYU on Nov. 8, SUU on Nov. 15 and WSU on Nov. 22.

Snow College has invited him to be on the sidelines when it plays in the Top of the Mountain Bowl on Dec. 6 for the junior college football national championship.

Gumucio has also visited Missouri and Air Force. Boise State, Oklahoma State and Idaho have shown interest, according to Grantsville coach Tony Cloward.

Gumucio was the leading tackler in 3A football with 157 and third overall in the state. He also averaged 5.5 yards per carry as a fullback.

Here's a cornucopia of signing news for you as we catch up on some news releases from colleges that may have slipped through the cracks:

* Utah State's softball program has signed four players. Joining the Aggies next fall will be Spanish Fork infielders Katelyn Elliott and Tina Ferguson, Viewmont pitcher Shelbi Tyteca and Mandy Harmon, a pitcher from Shadow Ridge High in Las Vegas.

* Weber State's volleyball program has signed four players. The list includes Caitlin Penrod of Bonneville High, Bethany Wray of Fremont High, Emily Jones of Rigby High in Idago and Briana Wilms of Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Penrod is a 5-9 setter, while Wray is a 6-0 outside hitter. Jones is a 5-11 middle blocker and Wilms is a 6-1 outside hitter.

* Southern Utah's women's basketball program has signed three players. Joining the Thunderbirds next fall will be Tayler Anderson of Lyman High in Wyoming, Chanel Thorley of Highland High in Gilbert, Ariz., and Jadie Parsons of South Sevier High in Monroe.

Anderson, a 6-0 wing, avered 13.2 points and 9.7 rebounds a game last year and made the Wyoming 3A all-state team. Thorley, a 6-3 post player, averaged 7.9 points and 9.3 reobunds as a junior and helped her Highland team go 3303 and win the Arizona 5A state championship. Parsons, a 5-8 guard, averaged 13.9 points last year and helped South Sevier to a 22-2 record and the 2A state title.

* Southern Utah's women's volleyball team has signed three players. Joining the T-birds in their inaugural 2009-2010 season will be Brittney Clark of Glendale, Ariz., Tara Sawyer of Fontana, Calif., and Courtney Lelepali of Waianae, Haw.

Brad Wilcox, a 6-foot-7, 270-pound offensive lineman from Edmond, Okla., has orally committed to play football for BYU, according to the Web site totalbluesports.com.

Wilcox apparently gave the Cougars his word last month.

He is expected to go on an LDS Church mission before enrolling at BYU.

The big lineman also had offers from Iowa State and Oregon State.

Wilcox moved to Oklahoma from Everett, Wash., in 2003.

He also drew interest from Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Tulsa, Washington, New Mexico and Boise State.

Utah Valley has signed a pair of high school seniors for its 2010 softball team.

Korryn Coates, a senior at Grantsville High, and Heather Bacon of Gendale, Calif., have signed with the Wolverines.

Coates plays third base and Bacon is a pitcher.

Coates plays for TC Thunder out of Tooele, Utah.

Utah's softball team raided local high school Riverton for two of its three signees for the 2009-10 class. The Utes signed Sandi Bowles and Kelsi Hoopiana from Riverton and Alyssa Garcia out of Houston.
Bowles is an outfielder who lettered three years at Riverton H.S., hitting .495 with 49 hits and a 25-game hit streak in her junior season.
Hoopiana, a utility player, was a first-team all-state player for Riverton. She hit .400 in five appearances at the ASA National Championships.
Garcia, a catcher, is a two-time first-team, all-district player.

Kylin Munoz, one of the top high school volleyball players in the country, has signed with BYU, the school announced Monday.

Munoz, an outside hitter, is a native of Monroe, Wash. She is ranked No. 6 nationally on prepvolleyball.com's Senior Ace list.

The Cougars have also signed Kathryn LeCheminant, a senior at Layton High in Davis Country. LeCheminant was an all-Region 1 selection last month.

Munoz is a 2008 UnderArmour All-American and is also a first-team all-state selection and three-time all-league player.

"Kylin was one of the most sought-after recruits in the country, and we are extremely excited for her to wear a BYU jersey," said BYU coach Shay Goulding. "She is very mature and is ready to come in and make an impact in the Mountain West Conference right away. She is an excellent teammate and will fit well into our program. I look forward to watching her career develop and seeing her quickly become one of the most talented players to ever play in the Smith Fieldhouse."

The Utes picked up another commitment this weekend, with Beau Burton, a 5-10, 205-pound running back out of Saguaro H.S. in Scottsdale, Ariz., giving the Utes the word.
Burton has rushed for more than 2,000 yards and 28 touchdowns. He described himself as a power running back, "with a few moves thrown in."
He chose the Utes over CSU and UNLV. He is scheduled to visit UNLV on Dec. 9 and hasn't decided if he's going to cancel those plans.
"It's a solid commit," he said. "Utah is a great team and in a beautiful area. I'm excited."
Here is Utah's list to this point:
Vyncent Jones, 6-3, 270-pound offensive lineman out of Jordan High
Jarrad Stewart, 5-10, 180-pound safety out of Pearland, Texas
Chris Brown, 6-1, 185-pound running back out of Newbury Park, Calif.
C.J. Porter, 6-1, 185-pound receiver out of Concord, Calif.
Jamal Smith, Oxford, Calif., 6-2, 185-pound receiver out of Oxford, Calif.
Eric Dago, 6-foot-4, 210-pound defensive end out of Westside High in Houston, Texas
James Aiono, Snow College, 6-3, 275-pound defensive end out of Murray High, now at Snow College
Colby Goodwin, a 6-foot-5, 202-pound tight end out of Cypress, Texas
Chris Washington, 6-foot-2, 195-pound safety out of Northridge High
Travis Cobb, 6-foot, 180-pound receiver out of Blinn Community College in Brenham, Texas
Maxwell Lacy, 6-3, 210-pound corner out of Compton College, Calif.
Siosaia Tuipulotu, 6-2, 285-pound defensive tackle out of Trinity High in Euless, Texas
Victor Spikes, 6-1, 205-pound safety out of Fort Bend Marshall, Missouri City, Texas
Jordan Wynn, a 6-foot-2, 178-pound quarterback out of Oceanside, Calif., Wynn originally committed to Colorado
Kapua Sai, 6-foot-5, 322-pound offensive lineman out of St. Louis H.S. in Honolulu
Beau Burton, 5-10, 205-pound running back out of Saguaro H.S. in Scottsdale, Ariz.

2010
Joe Kruger, 6-8, 245-pound defensive end/tight end out of Timpanogos High

Utah Valley University's baseball program has landed another elite pitcher from the south part of the Salt Lake Valley.

Alta High pitcher Justin Campbell has signed with the Wolverines.

Campbell was a 2008 Class 5A all-state selection and a member of the 5A all-tournament team. He was the 2007 Prospect Games MVP and is also a three-year letterman, an all-Region 2 performer and an honor role student.

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Davis High defensive end James Cowser recently received his first college football scholarship offer, according to Brandon Huffman of Scout.com.

Cowser, a senior, has an offer from Air Force.

Cowser finished with 94 tackles, including 39 for losses, and 14 sacks.

The resident of Kaysville is the Region 1 Defensive Player of the Year and Davis' nominee in the Wendy's High School Heisman program.

BYU's basketball team landed four of the state's top recruits, and Pleasant Grove's C.J. Wilcox has signed with Washington.
After that, though, it appears the state's other schools aren't real thrilled with prep basketball players from the Class of 2009. Southern Utah recently signed two players from Australia, and now Weber State has released its list of three signees.
None are from Utah.
Here are the Wildcats' three signees:

* Blake Davis, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound forward from St. Mary's High in Phoenix, Ariz. Davis averaged 12.5 points per game his junior year and was named second-team all-region and honorable mention all-state.
* Byron Fulton, a 6-7 forward/center from St. Mary's High and a teammate of Davis. Fulton weighs 240 pounds and an arm span of 7-1.
* Lindsey Hughey, a 6-3 guard from Seminole Junior College in Oklahoma. As a freshman at Seminole, Hughey averaged 13.2. points and 4.6 rebounds a game.

-- Jay Drew

To what lengths are BYU fans willing to go to get all-everything linebacker Manti Te'o to choose the Cougars?
Apparently, Notre Dame students were about to shower Te'o in Hawaiian leis -- literally -- before being told their plan to distribute 8,000 or so leis prior to Saturday's USC-Syracuse game in South Bend, Ind., could have been a violation of NCAA rules.
According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, Te'o, the No. 9 high school prospect from the Class of 2009, is visiting Notre Dame this weeked.
The students were going to hand out the leis outside the stadium in honor of Te'o's visit.
However, Notre Dame officials feared that a concerted, organized effort could be seen as a NCAA violation for publicizing a recruit's visit to campus and asked the students to stop the effort.
According to the Times, signs, videos and messages over a public address system or printed T-shirts are among other no-nos as they relate to advertising a recruit's visit to campus.
Te'o has Notre Dame among his top five, along with USC, UCLA, Stanford and BYU. He has stated that he will go on an LDS Church mission after his freshman season in college.

-- Jay Drew

BYU's baseball program has landed Chunner Nyberg, a pitcher at Dixie High School in St. George.

Nyberg signed a national letter of intent with BYU last week. His father, Brent, was a member of BYU's football team and caught passes in the Ty Detmer era.

Chunner Nyberg was the Region 9 MVP last year after posting an 11-1 record with a 1.45 earned run average and 83 strikeouts. He hit .356 at the plate.

Nyberg also plays football and wrestles for the Flyers.

Utah Valley University's wrestling program has signed three high school wrestlers from the class of 2009.

Signing with coach Greg Williams' program are Conner Morgan of Del Oro High in Rocklin, Calif.; Marty Carlson from Vestavia Hills High in Alabama and Abner Cook of Pocatello High in Idaho.

Morgan will compete in the 133-pound division. Carlson will wrestle at 141 pounds and Cook's projected weight was not listed by the school in a news release.

As noted in Jay Drew's story on the recruiting war between BYU and Utah, it isn't so much of a war anymore as it is a skirmish with the two programs going after only a couple of the same recruits. This year's biggest battle is for Bingham linebacker L.T. Filiaga, a player both schools covet. Often many recruits make their allegiances known to one school or another relatively early in the process.
"We don't have as many head-to-head wars as we used to, even four years ago," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "Everything is so accelerated now. When I was a player a lot of times you didn't make the decision until signing day. Things are way ahead of that pace now."
Still, when it does come down to one recruit and the two schools, you can bet it's a point of pride for whichever school wins the battle over their rival.
"We always fight for the best guys in the state," defensive coordinator Gary Andersen said. "We know they're going to turn around and do the same thing."
The teams' success and the national exposure they get seems to make a bigger impression out-of-state than in-state in a lot of cases. Utah's recent hot streak enticed Maxwell Lacy, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound corner from Compton College, Calif., to commit to the Utes while quarterback Jordan Wynn changed his mind and de-committed from Colorado to go with the Utes.
Another recently committed recruit, Kapua Sai, a 6-foot-5, 322-pound lineman out of Honolulu, said Utah's success is getting noticed in the islands. That is important, considering the area is a point of emphasis for the Utes, who were shutout of the islands last season.
"They are doing really good things," he said. "A lot of guys are talking about them."
Sai chose the Utes over Oregon and UNLV and will make his visit Dec. 5.
The Utes did lose out on one prized running back from Honolulu, Dalton Hilliard who committed to UCLA.

The most sought-after player in Hawaii is Manti Te'o, a linebacker who BYU is still in the running. He plans to visit BYU Jan. 9. Kahuku safety J'Ray Galea'i and running back Malosi Te'o already have committed to the Cougars.

Weber State University's re-born women's softball program has a player.

New coach Tina Johnson has signed Copper Hills (West Jordan) outfielder Linnea Ketcher, the school announced earlier this week.

"Linnea is a great fit for us," said Johnson. "She is a smart kid with great speed and is a really tough out. She's the first player to sign with us from the group that we are recruiting and we are excited to begin to fill out our roster."

Ketcher lettered four times in softball at Copper Hills and earned three letters in basketball. She helped her Copper Hills team to a fifth-place finish in the 2006 state tournament.

Ketcher enters Weber State with a 3.95 high school GPA and intends to major in Nursing. Her father, Stan Ketcher, played college baseball at Brigham Young and her grandfather, Jim Ketcher, played professional baseball in the Florida State League.

Jeff Manning won't be playing in the 3A state championship game this Friday, but the Logan High quarterback did receive some good news recently. Manning has been selected as the official Utah nominee for the 2008 Joe Montana Quarterback of the Year Award.

Manning has also been nominated for the Gatorade Utah Football Player of the Year award.

Manning has an offer from Utah State (although with the coaching change there, all USU offers could fall by the wayside). Recruiting experts say he would have more offers by now if he hadn't made it clear that he was going on an LDS Church mission before enrolling at a college.

DeBartolo Sports University, which picks the Montana award winner, says Manning is now eligible for the national honor.

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We mentioned last week that several athletes from Judge Memorial had signed national letters of intent.
The Bulldogs also have a football player who is getting some serious recruiting attention. Zach McKown, a linebacker and fullback, is scheduled to take a recruiting visit to Harvard. Southern Utah and Northern Arizona have also shown interest in the son of Utah Jazz strength coach Mark McKown.

Utah's volleyball team announced the signing of Brooke McAlister, a 6-foot outside hitter from Pleasant Grove H.S. and McKenzie Odale, a 5-11 setter from Eagle H.S. in Boise, Idaho.
McAlister led Pleasant Grove to a runner-up finish at the state championship and was selected to the state championship all-tournament team.
Odale was the starting setter for three state championship teams and was Idaho's Player of the Year for 2008.

While he couldn't comment on any recruits specifically because of NCAA rules, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham did say he likes how his 2009 class is shaping up. The Utes got their 14th commitment this week when Jordan Wynn, a 6-foot-2, 178-pound quarterback out of Oceanside, Calif., who originally committed to Colorado changed his mind and committed to the Utes.
"It's good, we only have a few spots left," Whittingham said. "We can't get in any detail, but it's shaping up to be, taking care of our needs and filling the holes we'll have with graduation and making sure key positions are stockpiled."
Wynn, who attended Utah's 63-14 win over San Diego State, said he changed his mind because he feels he can compete for the starting role right away. He'll be here in January, enrolling early like DeVonte Christopher did.
"I wrote it all out and it seemed like a better opportunity at Utah," he said. "Utah is on fire right now. I'm excited about the BYU game. They're establishing themselves and as a good team."

Here is Utah's list to this point:
Vyncent Jones, 6-3, 270-pound offensive lineman out of Jordan High
Jarrad Stewart, 5-10, 180-pound safety out of Pearland, Texas
Chris Brown, 6-1, 185-pound running back out of Newbury Park, Calif.
C.J. Porter, 6-1, 185-pound receiver out of Concord, Calif.
Jamal Smith, Oxford, Calif., 6-2, 185-pound receiver out of Oxford, Calif.
Eric Dago, 6-foot-4, 210-pound defensive end out of Westside High in Houston, Texas
James Aiono, Snow College, 6-3, 275-pound defensive end out of Murray High, now at Snow College
Colby Goodwin, a 6-foot-5, 202-pound tight end out of Cypress, Texas
Chris Washington, 6-foot-2, 195-pound safety out of Northridge High
Travis Cobb, 6-foot, 180-pound receiver out of Blinn Community College in Brenham, Texas
Maxwell Lacy, 6-3, 210-pound corner out of Compton College, Calif.
Siosaia Tuipulotu, 6-2, 285-pound defensive tackle out of Trinity High in Euless, Texas
Victor Spikes, 6-1, 205-pound safety out of Fort Bend Marshall, Missouri City, Texas
Jordan Wynn, a 6-foot-2, 178-pound quarterback out of Oceanside, Calif., Wynn originally committed to Colorado

2010
Joe Kruger, 6-8, 245-pound defensive end/tight end out of Timpanogos High

Two Utah high school golfers have signed to play golf for the BYU women's golf program, the school announced Monday.

Signing with the Cougars are Kelsey Vines of Dixie High in St. George and Annika Afoa of Murray High in the Salt Lake Valley.

Vines is the younger sister of former BYU golfers Ashli, Rawley and Daphne Vines.

She played high school golf in Texas and Utah and led the Dixie Flyers to the 2008 girls 4A state championship last spring. She is currently ranked as the No. 85 junior female golfer in the world.

Afoa is the niece of former BYU standout Lachell (Simmons) Poffenberger. She finished second in the 2008 Utah Junior Golf Association player performance rankings.

Utah State has signed three high school players -- all from out of state -- to its women's basketball program.

Coach Raegan Pebley announced that guards Jenna Johnson, Ashley Mitchell and Devyn Christiansen signed national letters of intent to play for the Aggies earlier this week.

Christiansen is from Caldwell, Idaho and attends Valliivue High. She was the Idaho 5A player of the year last season. The 5- guard averaged 16 points a game, and had a season-high of 25 one game.

Johnson is a 5-9 guard from Wasilla, Alaska. She averaged 17 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists a game last year at the same high school that produced vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

Mitchell is a 5-8 guard form Millikan High in Long Beach, Calif. She averaged 10 points, six rebounds and six assists a game last year.

Two high school baseball stars from Utah are among the six student-athletes who have signed to play baseball for the University of Utah, coach Bill Kinneberg announced this week.
"The last two recruiting classes are as good as we have ever had," Kinneberg said.
The Utahns are Brock Duke, a right handed pitcher and infielder at Spanish Fork High, and Zach Adams, a right handed pitcher at Cottonwood.
Duke, from Salem, was a Tribune 5A all-stater last spring. He batted .323 and went 6-1 on the mound for the Dons last year and carries a 3.7 GPA.
"Brock is the best baseball player in the state of Utah. He just knows how to play the game. He is a quality pitcher but can play almost any position on the field," Kinneberg said.
Adams, from West Jordan, was an honorable mention all-stater last year, and a second-team all-region pick. He helped the Colts win the state championship and was named to the all-tournament team.
"Zach has a chance to be a tremendous pitcher when he is finished here. His potential is off the charts," Kinneberg said.

The Utes also signed:
* Rick Anton, a left handed pitcher from Yavapai Junior College.
* Cam Schiller, an infielder from Yavapai Junior College.
* Tyler Wagner, an infielder from Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas.
* Kevin Ponzo, a right handed pitcher from San Dimas High in California.

Judge Memorial's multi-sport athlete, A.J. Carman, has signed a letter of intent with Washington State's baseball team.
Carman is expected to be a pitcher/first baseman. Carman also plays football and will play basketball for the Bulldogs.
Also signing scholarships from Judge Memorial was Stallon Saldivar, who signed with Northern Arizona's basketball team and Court Zollinger, who signed with Utah Valley University's baseball team.
- Lya Wodraska

Prior to the beginning of the early signing period, Scout.com got four of its analysts together to talk about the high school basketball Class of 2009.

Of note for local fans is what analyst Greg Hicks had to say when asked for his "biggest sleeper" in this year's class.

"Brandon Davies is the best player nobody talks about and BYU got a steal with his commitment," Hicks said. "He's good enough to play at any school in the country. Great feet and hands, with a high skill level. "

Davies was one of four players who signed with BYU on Wednesday, joining Lone Peak's Tyler Haws and Nate Austin and Orem's Ian Harward. Austin and Harward will go on church missions before enrolling.

Also, when asked who has "the best stroke" in the senior class, Hicks pointed to another Utahn, C.J. Wilcox of Pleasant Grove. Wilcox has signed with Washington.

"There aren't a lot of great shooters in the West," Hicks said. "I will go with C.J. Wilcox."

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It appears that the University of Utah is heavily pursuing a standout receiver from Tucson, Ariz.

J.J. Holliday of Santa Rita High in the Tucson area, a receiver and defensive back, has five college offers, including one from the Utes. Colorado State, Wyoming, Air Force and Arizona State have also offered the senior with a 3.75 GPA and SAT score of 1,300.

Holliday told Rivals.com that he has set up visits to Colorado State and Utah.

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BYU hasn't released its list of softball signings yet, but one fine athlete who has signed to play for the Cougars is Hannah Howell, a senior at Calvin High in central Louisiana.

Howell has started for her high school team since the seventh grade and has been named the Class C MVP three times. She's been a part of four state titles in five years and has been a Class C all-stater five times.

A pitcher, Howell has a career record of 95-12 with 1,060 strikeouts.

Bingham High baseball star Blake Krahenbuhl has signed with Utah Valley University. Krahenbuhl, a 6-foot-4 right-handed pitcher, carries a 3.8 GPA and will be a four-year letter winner for the Miners next spring.

"Blake will be heavily counted on this upcoming spring to be a key contributor on this year's pitching staff hoping to make another run to play in the state final," said Bingham coach Joey Sato.

Krahenbuhl, who traveled with the Utah Baseball Academy last summer and fall, threw a one-hitter at the World Wood Bat Championships in Marietta, Ga..

He is also a four-year basketball letter winner. He was also recruited by Seattle University, Utah, Army and BYU.

We've got some more prep signings to report. Reminder: If you know about a student-athlete who is signing this week with a college program, please let us know. Send an email to drew@sltrib.com or lwodraska@sltrib.com and we will post the news here.

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Kelsey Vines, a senior at Dixie High school, has signed to play golf for BYU's women's golf team. Vines sent her letter of intent to BYU and coach Sue Nyhus on Wednesday.

Vines was recruited by some of the top golf programs in the country. Her sister, Daphne Vines, a former Utah Women's State Amateur champion, also played for BYU.

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Brighton High volleyball star Sami Brunatti has signed to play for Utah State.

Former Skyline High star Nate Bendall signed Wednesday to play basketball for Utah State.

Bendall will rejoin the Aggie program in 2009, but is playing for Salt Lake Community College this season. He is averaging 17.5 points and 5.5 rebounds through two games this season.

A 6-foot-8 forward, Bendall played for USU as a freshman during the 2005-06 season and averaged 2.4 points and 1.5 rebounds in 13 games.

Then he went on a one-year LDS Church service mission to Nauvoo, Ill.

He was also recruited by Boise State, Colorado State, Montana and Montana State.

Southern Utah University in Cedar City has issued the following news release regarding its signing of two basketball players from Australia. The players' commitments were previously reported by The Salt Lake Tribune:

Southern Utah's men's basketball team signed a pair of Australian centers to National Letters of Intent Wednesday, Thunderbird head coach Roger Reid has announced.
Matt Hodgson and Nathan Crombie both committed and will join the Thunderbirds next year as freshmen. Hodgson, a 6-foot-10, 225-pound center from Booval, Queensland; and Crombie, a 7-foot, 200-pound center from Carina, Queensland are both members of the Australian Junior National Institute Team.
Hodgson, who is completing his senior year at Ipswitch Grammar School, is a recipient of the Australian Institute of Sport scholarship and was selected for the Australian Institute of Sport team.
"When we saw Matt we were really impressed, we thought we would be very fortunate to sign him," Reid said. "He could play for a lot of people. He's a true center with a 7-foot-nine inch wingspan. He's strong around the basket but he can also step out and shoot the ball. On the other end of the floor he has a good defensive presence. He still has a lot of work to do to be the player he can be - remember, he's only 17 years old - but he has all the tools to be a very good basketball player. He's also a good student with a great family."
Crombie, who is prepping at John Paul College, also plays for the Queensland Academy of Sport and played at Willetton Senior High. "Nathan is a legitimate 7-footer, a great athlete who runs the floor as well as any guard on our team," Reid noted. "He's got good quickness and a nice touch out to 15 or 16 feet; I think he also has the ability to develop an even better jump shot even though we don't really see him as a jump shooter. Nathan also has a very good family behind him."
Both players also have the ability to play good defense, Reid said, but he pointed out, "they need to learn how to play defense. At this point they really haven't needed to do much more than get in the middle and be a presence. We look forward to working with them to develop footwork and the mentality to be good defensive players.
Reid gave much of the credit for signing the two players to his assistant, Ron Carling, who has long ties to Australian basketball, including time spent as commissioner of the Australian National Basketball League, with the men's and women's Olympic teams; and a term as the Australian National Director of Coaching, where he was in charge of junior basketball development.
"Ron's relationship and contacts in Australia had a big hand in our success signing Matt and Nathan," Reid said. "His accomplishments there had a big hand in Australian basketball people telling these kids that we would be good people to play for."
Carling, in turn, gave the credit back to Reid, noting "they also know what kind of coach Roger is. His reputation on the court, and as a coach who treats his players like family, is something that will help us sign players no matter where we go."

Linnea Ketcher, a center fielder at Copper Hills High in West Jordan, will sign with Weber State's new softball program and new coach Tina Johnson on Wednesday.

Ketcher was a second-team all-stater in 2008 and is a two-time all-Region 3 selection. She holds five state hitting records, including 10 consecutive hits and 54 hits in a season.

Ketcher also had offers from Dixie State College and Francis Marion University in South Carolina.

The senior carries a 3.96 grade point average.

Bingham High baseball star Colton Yack will sign tomorrow with Dixie State College.

Yack, also an excellent football player, started every game and played three positions (second base, third base, shortstop) for the Miners as a junior. He will be a four-year letter winner.

Last summer, Yack played for the Utah Bucks in the Marshall Gates Foundation league.

Wednesday is the start of the early signing period for many sports. Coaches, parents or athletes who have items of interest for the Tribune should email Jay at drew@sltrib.com or Lya at lwodraska@sltrib.com.

Ethen Lofthouse, the highly recruited wrestler from Mountain Crest High in Hyrum, Utah, has committed to wrestle for Iowa.
Lofthouse will sign on Wednesday with the Hawkeyes and join his uncle, Luke Lofthouse, at Iowa.
Ethen Lofthouse is the No. 43-ranked recruit nationally in the Class of 2009 by InterMat.
Lofthouse, also an all-state caliber football player, chose Iowa over Iowa State (and coach Cael Sanderson, a Utah native), Oregon State and Missouri.
He is a three-time Utah state champion and will go for a fourth title next February.
Lofthouse will likely wrestle at 174 or 184 pounds in college. He has a 141-6 record at Mountain Crest.

Even with Griffin Robles coming in from his mission and Corbin Louks and DeVonte Christopher on the current roster, the Utes are searching the country for another quarterback. The top prize on their list right now is Keith Price, a 6-1, 176-pound quarterback at St. John Bosco in Bellflower, Calif., who committed to Washington but is keeping his options open considering the unstable situation there.
Another quarterback that is gaining some interest is Blinn Community College 6-1, 190-pound quarterback Terrance Cain.
The Utes already have one commitment from the school in receiver Travis Cobb and lost another, Justin Jordan, to UAB.
The question will be if the Utes want to use a scholarship for a two-year player or think more long-term.
Cain is drawing interest from several other schools too and could probably help his stock rise if he can lead the Bucks to an upset win over top-ranked Navarro Saturday in the Southwest Junior College Football Conference playoffs.
- Lya Wodraska

A couple of Timpview High football stars, lineman Xavier Su'a-Filo and safety Chris Badger, visited LSU over the weekend and watched the Tigers lose in overtime to Alabama.
It was an official visit for Su'a-Filo, a senior, while Badger paid his own way because he is just a junior.
Su'a-Filo, of course, has offers from some of the top programs in the country. Badger has offers from BYU and Utah and said he also plans to visit Stanford and UCLA before the end of the college football season.
Timpview plays in the Utah 4A state semifinals on Friday at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Su'a-Filo has been fairly quiet regarding his college choice lately, and he did not commit to LSU when he was in Baton Rouge. However, a family friend says LSU is at the top of his list, followed by USC, then BYU.

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Anyone else notice the kind of numbers that a pair of the state's top uncommitted receivers, Bingham's Michael Edmunds and Timpview's Travis Van Leeuwen, are putting up? Both are approaching 900 receiving yards with their teams playing in the state semifinals later this week.
Southern Utah would take either receiver in a heartbeat, but both guys are reportedly waiting to see if one of the major programs in the state makes an offer.

-- Jay Drew

Just got off the phone with Victor Spikes, who said he also was considering Houston, TCU and Oklahoma State before settling on the Utes. Not surprisingly, watching the game last night in person had a lot to do with sealing his decision.
"I thought I could fit right in at Utah," he said. "Seeing how the guys came together, it was like a real brotherhood. I want to be a part of that."
Spikes, another get for Utah assistant Morgan Scalley, said his commitment was a strong one.
"My word is my bond," he said. "As of now I'm a Ute."
- Lya Wodraska

The Kruger pipeline continues for the University of Utah. Joe Kruger, a junior at Timpanogos High and the younger brother of current Utes Paul and Dave, committed to Utah Friday. He will be a part of the 2010 class.
Joe Kruger is 6-foot-8, 245-pounds and is expected to be one of Utah's top prep products next season.
Paul is Utah's 6-5, 265-pound star defensive end while Dave is a 6-5, 265-pound freshman lineman who is redshirting this season.
The Utes also received an oral commitment from Victor Spikes, a 6-1, 205-pound safety out of Fort Bend Marshall High in Missouri City, Texas. Spikes watched the Utah-TCU game while on an official visit.

Here is Utah's list to this point:
Vyncent Jones, 6-3, 270-pound offensive lineman out of Jordan High
Jarrad Stewart, 5-10, 180-pound safety out of Pearland, Texas
Chris Brown, 6-1, 185-pound running back out of Newbury Park, Calif.
C.J. Porter, 6-1, 185-pound receiver out of Concord, Calif.
Jamal Smith, Oxford, Calif., 6-2, 185-pound receiver out of Oxford, Calif.
Eric Dago, 6-foot-4, 210-pound defensive end out of Westside High in Houston, Texas
James Aiono, Snow College, 6-3, 275-pound defensive end out of Murray High, now at Snow College
Colby Goodwin, a 6-foot-5, 202-pound tight end out of Cypress, Texas
Chris Washington, 6-foot-2, 195-pound safety out of Northridge High
Travis Cobb, 6-foot, 180-pound receiver out of Blinn Community College in Brenham, Texas
Maxwell Lacy, 6-3, 210-pound corner out of Compton College, Calif.
Siosaia Tuipulotu, 6-2, 285-pound defensive tackle out of Trinity High in Euless, Texas
Victor Spikes, 6-1, 205-pound safety out of Fort Bend Marshall, Missouri City, Texas

2010
Joe Kruger, 6-8, 245-pound defensive end/tight end out of Timpanogos High

- Lya Wodraska

Rivals.com has released its first official list of the top high school football prospects from the Class of 2010 (currently juniors) and three Utahns made the list of 250 players.
Generally, players who make this list are given four stars or five stars by the national recruiting Web site.
Those on the list from Utah include Timpanogos' Joe Kruger and Timpview's Bronson Kaufusi and Chris Badger.
There are also some guys that BYU is recruiting heavily who are on the list: Washington's Jake Heaps, Kahuku's Kona Schwenke and Zac Stout of Oaks Christian in Westlake Village, Calif.
Here's what rivals had to say about the three Utahns:
Bronson Kaufusi, DE/TE: An early BYU commitment, Kaufusi has a great 6-foot-6, 226-pound frame to work with. As a sophomore, he led the team in sacks. The Kaufusi name is famous in Utah football circles. Steve and Rich played at BYU but four other Kaufusi brothers, Jeff, Jason, Doug and Henry, attended Utah. He is the son of current BYU assistant coach Steve Kaufusi.
Chris Badger, DB: Badger had a very solid sophomore season racking up 51 tackles, three interceptions, and forcing two fumbles to earn all-league and all-valley honors. He was one of the top players, regardless of class, at the Provo NIKE Training Camp. He also was impressive at the Boise National Underclass Combine with a 4.51 second shuttle and a 29-inch vertical leap.
Joe Kruger, DE: Two older brothers, Paul and David, play at Utah, and many think Joe might be the best in the bunch. The scouting report on Kruger is that he has quick feet, long arms, a massive frame to work with and big hands. While he wants to play defense, he could also easily project as an offensive tackle.

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Isi Sofele, the talented running back from Cottonwood High, told James Bryant of PonyStampede.com that his top two schools are Washington State and SMU. Sofele, who is given three stars by Scout.com, has visited WSU and has said he will visit SMU in December.
He also has offers from Washington, UCLA, Air Force, Utah, UNLV, UConn and Oregon State, he said.

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Interesting article today in the Honolulu (Haw.) Advertiser about point guard Hiram Thompson, who will play basketball for Hawaii this season. Thompson is the brother of Brett Thompson, a senior at Oak Ridge High in California who has committed to play football for BYU.
According to the article, Hiram Thompson claims that BYU and other schools contacted him -- perhaps through his father -- about his interest in transferring away from Hawaii, which had a coaching change.
The article's author does not note whether he tried to reach BYU's coaching staff for confirmation or denial.
"Some teams were calling my dad, but my plan was always to come back to Hawaii," Thompson says in the article.

-- Jay Drew

High school football playoff action continues Friday and Saturday, with quarterfinal contests in 5A, 4A and 3A and semifinal games in 2A and 1A.
If you don't have any particular allegiances and just want to perhaps watch a player who wiill be playing at the next level in the near future, here are a couple of ideas for you:
* Go to Juan Diego Catholic High School in Draper on Friday, 4 p.m., and catch Logan quarterback Jeff Manning try his hand against the undefeated Soaring Eagle (11-0).
Manning, the 6-foot-4 gunslinger, has an offer from Utah State on the table, but will first go on an LDS Church mission. Because he has stated those plans, a lot of schools are taking a wait-and-see approach with him.
That's a big mistake, I think. Manning is special, and he is going to get better and better.
Courtesy of prep football historian George Felt, here's a look at Manning's assault on the record books, which could end Friday:

* Second all-time in touchdowns responsible for, with 52 this season. Only fellow Logan QB Riley Nelson, who had 84 in 2005, has more.
* Manning's 3,733 yards of total offense this season ranks him ninth all-time.
* Manning's 2,902 passing yards this season puts him 15th all-time.
* His 40 passing touchdowns ties him for fourth all-time with Cottonwood's Alex Cate, who is now at Oklahoma State, and Fremont's Joel Hancock (2004). Manning will pass Pine View's James Lark (2004) with two TD tosses today, and he's three behind Timpanogos' Christian Stewart (2007). Lark and Stewart both play for BYU now, although Lark is on a church mission in Russia and Stewart is a walk-on freshman who helps run the scout team.

* Manning is fifth on the all-time charts in career passing touchdowns with 69 and 21st in career passing yards with 5,181.

* He has been responsible for 91 TDs in his career, fourth highest all-time.

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Bonneville probably won't give Cottonwood much of a game in a 2:30 p.m. 4A quarterfinal at Cottonwood on Friday, but the Colts have so many potential Division I recruits that it might be worth checking out for that reason alone.
Lineman John Martinez is one of the top recruits in the country, obviously, and has USC, UCLA, LSU and Ohio State on his list of favorites.
You can also check out running back Isi Sofele, who has almost a dozen college offers himself.
Here's a look at where Sofele stands in the record books, courtesy of Felt:
* Has scored 29 touchdowns this season, tied for 12th all-time.
* Has rushed for 4,363 yards in his career, eighth-most all-time.
* Sofele has 715 carries in his career, second only to North Summit's Andy Carlsen, who had 722. Barring anything unforeseen, Sofele will become the most-used running back in state history on Friday.
* The senior has 45 career touchdown runs, 18th-most all-time.

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Couple other suggestions:
* The 3 p.m. Skyline-Layton game at Layton will feature Skyline running back Algernon Brown, a junior who already has an offer from BYU. Layton will counter with Karl "The Truth" Williams, who has an offer from Air Force.
* The 4 p.m. Jordan-at-Bingham game will feature Utah-commit Vyncent Jones of Jordan, a lineman, and several Bingham players who will play in college: receiver Michael Edmunds (uncommitted), linebacker L.T. Filiaga (uncommitted) and sophomore running back Harvey Langi, who has already been offered by BYU.
* The 3 p.m. Davis-at-Alta game will feature Alta quarterback Ammon Olsen, who has an offer from Southern Utah.
* The Sky View-at-Timpview game, 3 p.m., will feature a plethora of Timpview stars who will play in college, most notably Bronson Kaufusi (BYU commit), Xavier Su'a-Filo (uncommitted), safety Craig Bills (BYU commit), safety Chris Badger (uncommitted) and receiver Travis Van Leeuwen (uncommitted).

-- Jay Drew

One of the state's top high school baseball players -- maybe the best -- has committed to the University of San Diego and will sign with the Toreros next Wednesday with tne NCAA baseball signing period begins.
Michael Dedrick, a right-handed pitcher at Cedar City's Canyon View High, pledged to USD a few months ago.
Dedrick, 6-foot-3, 180 pounds, is ranked as the 39th best high school prospect in the country by Baseball America magazine. Last season, he posted 124 strikeouts in 74 innings.
His fastball has been clocked at 92 mph.

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Kyle Van Noy, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound football star from McQueen High in Reno, Nev., is starting to narrow his list of college choices.
Van Noy, a linebacker and receiver, has visited Colorado, according to Greg Biggins of ESPN.com, and plans to visit BYU on Jan. 9 and Arizona State on Jan. 16. He said he would also like to set up visits to UCLA and Boise State.
"Right now, BYU and ASU are my top two schools," he told Biggins. "My plan is to take all my visits and then commit sometime shortly after my last trip. I don't think I'll wait until signing day, but with my last trip in mid-January, it will probably end up being a few weeks before then."

-- Jay Drew

With their next crop of hopeful basketball stars all lined up to sign national letters of intent next week, many schools such as the University of Utah and BYU are already looking ahead to the class of 2010 for potential recruits.
However, one star the University of Utah has been showing great interest in has apparently said he will commit to USC.
Gary Franklin, a junior at Mater Dei High in Santa Ana, Calif., said Monday he will become a Trojan. The 6-foot, 180-pound guard reportedly had offers from Arizona, Baylor and Utah, according to scouthoops.com. Cal and Stanford had shown interest.

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Bountiful High lineman Darren Denucci has been invited to play center at the All-American Bowl on Jan. 2 in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Fox College Sports will televise the high school football all-star game.

The early signing period for most Division I sports (with the exception of football) is a week from Wednesday (Nov. 12) and dozens of high school seniors around the state will be signing national letters of intent with their chosen colleges.

Things will be especially busy at Judge Memorial Catholic High School in Salt Lake City.

The school announced today that at least three of its athletes will be signing next week.

Baseball star A.J. Carman will sign with Washington State.

Baseball star Court Zollinger will sign with Utah Valley University.

Basketball star Stallon Saldivar will sign with Northern Arizona.

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A high school quarterback whom Utah State and Utah were recruiting has apparently committed to Louisana Tech.

Doak Raulston, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound star from All Saints' Episcopal School in Fort Worth, Texas, has said he will sign with the Ruston, La., school.

Raulston threw for 1,650 yards and 19 TDs as a junior. He also had an offer from Air Force and was drawing interest from Kansas State, Vanderbilt and Rice, along with the Utes and Aggies.

-- Jay Drew

It has become undeniable that the BYU Cougars need immediate defensive help after giving up tons of yardage and points the past three weeks to TCU, UNLV and Colorado State.
It does not appear that the Cougars have been looking at the junior college ranks, although they might be now with the news that cornerback G Pittman is transferring.
BYU's two starting cornerbacks, Scott Johnson and Brandon Howard, are juniors. The two primary backups now are Brandon Bradley and Steven Thomas. Bradley is a sophomore and Thomas is a redshirt freshman.
Most BYU followers know about Manti Te'o, the linebacker from Punahou High in Hawaii. But there's another linebacker the Cougars would also love to land: Steve Fanua of Milpitas, Calif.
Fanua has already made an official visit to Cal. He said last week that he has lined up a visit to Fresno State, and will be going to Raisin Country on Dec. 6.
Fanua has a visit lined up to BYU on Jan. 10. He said recently that he likes the Cougar coaching staff a lot, most notably recruiting coordinator Paul Tidwell.
Fanua is 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds. He's ranked as the No. 18 middle linebacker in the country by Scout.com.
He recently told Scout that he favors Cal slightly over BYU, Fresno State and Arizona. Colorado, Hawaii, Arizona State, Oregon and Boise State are among the schools that have also offered, he said.

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Liloa Nobriga, a defensive end from Silverado High in the Las Vegas area, recently committed to Hawaii. However, Nobriga has said he will still take recruiting trips to Fresno State and Utah.

-- Jay Drew