St. Clair Will Stay Instate

Monty St. Clair had some tough decisions to make this fall, but the skilled 6-8, 222 pound power forward from Roger Bacon H.S. in Cincinnati, Ohio, pulled the trigger on a college choice this past weekend.

According to his father Mark, Monty committed to Miami University of Ohio on Saturday, picking the Red Hawks after considering UNC-Wilmington and Kent State. He took official visits to all three schools this fall.

Indiana and Stanford had also kept an eye on St. Clair this fall, and Rutgers University made a late pitch to land Monty.

"The staff at Miami offered him 14 or 15 months ago," Mr. St. Clair said. "They went to almost all of his games during the summer, and he also felt very comfortable with the academics there, as well as having a familiarity with some of the players on the team."

In fact, St. Clair played spring/summer ball with two current Miami players. One of his teammates from Bacon last winter, Josh Hausfeld, is a freshman for the Red Hawks this season. The combination helped Bacon win a state title last March.

"Rutgers tried to get him to visit," Mr. St. Clair said. "Indiana was more of a wait until spring type of thing."

In St. Clair, Miami has landed a big man with a deft shooting touch and solid frame. Even though he's not what you would call a run/jump athlete, St. Clair is a cerebral big man who simply knows how to score and rebound. He should develop into an excellent prospect in the Mid American Conference in the years to come.

This past spring and summer, Monty gained notoriety playing with Mike Price's Cincinnati AAU program. He is expected to ink with Miami during the early signing period, which begins today and runs through next Wednesday, Nov. 20.