In quick process, Davis High basketball guard Rex Sunderland commits to New Hampshire
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- Davis guard Rex Sunderland (13) passes out of a drive against Layton forward Connor Wilson (33) during a boys prep basketball game Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, at Layton High School.
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- Davis player Rex Sunderland calls out a play during a 6A second-round playoff game against Layton on Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, in Kaysville.
BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner
Davis guard Rex Sunderland (13) passes out of a drive against Layton forward Connor Wilson (33) during a boys prep basketball game Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, at Layton High School.
After an AAU basketball tournament in Alabama last summer, Rex Sunderland got a message from a men’s basketball coach at the University of New Hampshire.
The coach, UNH head coach Bill Herrion, wanted Sunderland to save his number in his phone. They didn’t talk again until last month but, when Herrion reached out this time in March, it quickly turned into a scholarship offer for Sunderland, a senior at Davis High.
A couple weekends ago, Sunderland went to Durham, New Hampshire, for an official visit and verbally committed to the Wildcats at the end of the visit. He announced his commitment on April 16.
“It just, it felt right. The staff is great, having a full-ride there, plus somewhere where I can maybe go in and play, it was a good fit for me,” Sunderland told the Standard-Examiner.
The whole thing happened quickly for Sunderland, who was a three-year starting guard for Davis as the Darts went 67-8. He led the team in points (15.5), assists (4.0) and steals (3.9) per game this season.
BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner
Davis player Rex Sunderland calls out a play during a 6A second-round playoff game against Layton on Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, in Kaysville.
“It was a little quick but, at the same time, I think that’s kind of the day and age with the transfer portal. It’s all guys transferring and leaving, you never know where spots are going to be, what’s going to open up, it’s kind of more on the fly than how it used to be, I think,” Sunderland said.
Sunderland chose New Hampshire over offers from Utah Valley and Idaho State.
Sunderland was never opposed to going out of state, he said. UNH is 2,418 miles from Kaysville.
“I don’t know if I ever thought I’d be going that far,” he said.
The University of New Hampshire Wildcats compete in the America East Conference with the likes of Vermont, Maine, Binghamton, and University of Maryland-Baltimore County, who as a No. 16 seed, sprung a famous upset over No. 1 Virginia in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats went 15-13 overall last season and have .500 or better records the last three seasons. Herrion, the head coach, is entering his 18th year in charge.
“I love that he’s very competitive. He kind of reminded me of (Davis) coach (Chad) Sims a little bit. Competitive, very direct, but I like that,” Sunderland said. “And you can tell that their agenda is to win.”
Herrion told Sunderland he might have a chance to play this year if things go well. Coaches might say something like that to recruits in an effort to sell them on the school, but Sunderland thinks the message was genuine because he worked out with some of the players at UNH while on his visit and felt that he held his own.
