OGDEN -- He only started competing in track and field events three weeks ago, yet he took third place in the shot put at a meet on a windy night in Nebraska on Tuesday. But James Hajek probably won't be throwing the shot put or discuss when he arrives in Ogden this fall.
The 6-foot-9, 245-pounder will sign a National Letter of Intent today to play for the Weber State men's basketball team. The senior at Omaha Skutt (Neb.) High School, who averaged 12.6 points and 9.7 rebounds last season, will be the lone signing today for the Wildcats, but he won't be the only newcomer next season.
WSU signed three new players in September including high school seniors Jordan Richardson, a 6-0 guard from Tracy, Calif., and Kyle Tresnak, a 6-10 forward from Horizon, Ariz., as well as junior college transfer Scott Bamforth, a 6-2 guard from Western Nebraska Community College.
Hajek pointed to his few days in Ogden during a recruiting visit as to why he's signing with the Wildcats.
"When I went out for my visit I really liked it there," Hajek said. "I loved the campus and seeing the mountains."
The campus and nearby mountains weren't all he saw.
While visiting WSU, Hajek attended the Wildcats' 81-59 win over Sacramento State. In that game WSU senior Steve Panos scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, showing that big men definitely have a place in the Wildcats' offensive plans. That got Hajek to think about how he could also be successful in a Wildcat uniform.
"(Head) Coach (Randy) Rahe told me that they're going to use their big men and that's a big reason that I want to play there," Hajek said.
Hajek, who started school a year early so he will be younger than the average incoming freshman, is also excited about joining a team full of good teammates.
"I really like Coach Rahe and his style of recruiting," Hajek said. "He wants to recruit character kids who also play basketball."
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