Maarty Leunen, the versatile 6-foot-9, 210-pound combo forward from Redmond,

Ore., made a verbal commitment tonight to Oregon. Maarty announced his decision at a press conference at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds Expo Center in his hometown.

The press conference was held at 6 pm PDT.

Leunen also considered UCLA and Gonzaga.

Leunen has been widely regarded as the most highly recruited player in the

state of Oregon outside of the Portland Metropolitan area since Eugene's Danny

Ainge in the mid-70's. Last season, he led Redmond to their first-ever 4A

basketball state championship. This season, he not only has the opportunity at

a repeat title, but also has the chance to be first player since Barlow's Fred

Jones to win the 4A Player of the Year award more than once.

Jed Tai is a senior writer with Hoopville.com