Three superlative Top of Utah athletes -- two seniors and a junior -- have given verbal commitments to play basketball at three in-state universities.
Brant Mecham, of Box Elder High School, will sign a national letter of intent with Utah Valley University; Morgan High's Ashley Garfield is headed to Brigham Young University; and Brittney Martin, of Syracuse High, has verbally committed to the University of Utah.
The 6-foot-5 Mecham, a combo guard who also plays small forward, will serve a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints mission before playing for the Wolverines.
"Utah Valley wanted me and I want to leave on my mission as soon as I can," said Mecham, who turns 19 on Sept. 15, 2011. "Utah Valley and Louisiana Tech were willing to work with me on my mission thing."
The 17-year-old Mecham was also recruited by BYU, Utah State, Weber State and Portland.
"I haven't made an official visit to Utah Valley, but I did make an unofficial visit and talked to the coaches," he said. "I took a tour of the campus and I enjoyed it. I like it a lot down there.
"Louisiana Tech was hard to turn down, but I wanted to stay close to home. I didn't want to be in Louisiana by myself," Mecham said. "It was my goal to get this done before the season started. I'm excited to be playing college basketball and I'm looking forward to 2013, which will be my first season. It's been a goal to play (NCAA) Division I basketball."
Garfield, a 5-11 power forward, will sign with the Cougars during November's early signing period.
"BYU has been the school of my dreams," she said. "It's always where I wanted to go, and they have a great program. I haven't made an official visit; I will do that after the basketball season is over."
Garfield, 17, broke her left ankle two weeks before the 2010 state 3-A tournament in a Region 11 game at Bear River.
"I think I'm back to 100 percent and ready to go," she said. "I talked a lot to Nebraska and I also talked with Utah. I'm happy with my decision and I'm really excited. It will definitely be a good experience."
Garfield also plays volleyball for the Trojans.
"I got more interest in basketball than volleyball over the summer, but I didn't really care either way," she said. "I didn't want this hanging over my head my senior year, and I wanted to make the right decision."
Martin, a 5-11 power forward, helped lead the undefeated Titans (25-0 overall) to the 2010 5-A girls basketball title.
"I think this will make me a better player at Syracuse over the next two years because I want to work up to the potential they think I have," she said. "I just decided to stay close to home with my parents and my family.
"I think it's going to be way fun going there," Martin said. "I like the coaches and players; I hope Utah doesn't change its mind."
Martin, 16, also drew interest from California, Arizona State, UCLA, Oregon and BYU.
"I just wanted to know where I'm going right now, and I didn't want to have all that stress," she said. "My family is too important to me; I want them to see me play. I think this will help me in my high school career -- getting this done.
"I wanted to stay in-state; I've been down to Utah a lot," Martin said. "They sounded like they were the most interested in me. They have been watching me since I was a ninth-grader or maybe earlier than that. Having all the fans there watching me helped me make my decision."
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