John Garcia made it perfectly clear on Monday that Seton Hall was the team to beat in his recruitment. After just one day of thinking it over, the 6-foot-8, 230-pound power forward from Brentwood High School in Bayshore, N.Y., has given a verbal commitment to Coach Louis Orr and the Pirates. Garcia will take another unofficial visit to Seton Hall this weekend and then officially visit the campus with his parents the following weekend.

“I decided to give a commitment to Seton Hall today,” Garcia said. “I really felt comfortable with Coach (Louis) Orr and the players they have returning. It is a great situation because the program is on the rise, and I have the opportunity to step in and play right away.”

While Garcia made this decision for a variety of reasons, two factors in particular played a major role in his decision to attend Seton Hall. There is a no doubt that the No. 122 ranked player in the class of 2005 had plenty of great schools to chose from, but in the end, Seton Hall was just too good to pass up.

“I will have the opportunity step in and play right away,” he said. “Coach Orr is a former NBA player and knows how to develop his players. The relationship that I developed with Coach Orr was also one of the biggest reasons I gave a commitment to Seton Hall. He is a great coach and knows a lot about the game.

“I am definitely looking forward to visiting the campus again this weekend,” he added. “My family and I will be taking an official visit to Seton Hall on the following weekend, so I will be spending a lot of time with the coaching staff and players.”