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Cedergreen to play at Linfield
When Jay Cedergreen participated in a basketball camp at Linfield College in McMinville, Ore., last summer, he had the chance to show the Wildcats coaching staff what he could do. They liked what they saw of the Quincy High School senior-to-be and promised to keep a close watch on his progress.
They apparently saw that Cedergreen has the potential to play at the college level. Last week, Cedergreen announced that he's going to attend Linfield in the fall and be a member of the men's basketball team.
Cedergreen was a four-year starter for the QHS boys team as a guard and helped lead the Jacks to a Central Washington Athletic Conference district championship in 2009. This past season, he was named as an all-conference selection. The 6-foot-1 Cedergreen is an intelligent player with good passing skills and defensive abilities, and has shown a willingness to penetrate the lane for layups or free-throw opportunities.
Cedergreen had a difficult choice to make about his future because he had to balance his academic needs with his athletic ones. He graduated earlier this month with a perfect grade point average and was selected as one of the graduating class' three valedictorians. Therefore, he never really strongly considered playing at a community college; even though he might earn more playing time right away at, say, Wenatchee Valley College or Big Bend Community College, he made it clear that he wanted to attend a university that could provide him with more academic opportunities.
Cedergreen also didn't want to take the "Chris Pontorolo-Maag" route, either. Pontorolo-Maag, a 2005 QHS graduate, decided to try to walk on to the Gonzaga men's basketball team, and after a couple of years ended up succeeding in his endeavor. He wanted to be a Bulldog so badly that he was willing to sacrifice playing time that he could have received at a smaller school.
For Cedergreen, a basketball junkie, that option wasn't feasible. He needs to be on the court as much as possible. At Linfield, an NCAA Division III school that plays in the Northwest Conference, he has a good chance of balancing his athletic and academic goals.
Contact Doug Flanagan at reporter@qvpr.com or through Facebook:
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