Findlay guard Bradley commits to Texas, Trent to Washington (UPDATED)

By Rob Miech

Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008 | 9:07 p.m.

Findlay College Prep continues to send players to elite Division-I basketball programs, a trend that continued with Avery Bradley’s verbal commitment to Texas.

Another Pilot will join Findlay's growing list of D-I alumni when Clarence Trent verbally commits to Washington on Friday. Arkansas had been believed to be at the top of Trent's list.

After practice Thursday night, Trent, a 6-8 senior forward from Gig Harbor, Wash., confirmed that he will call Huskies coach Lorenzo Romar on Friday with his commitment.

"Coach Romar is a cool guy," said Trent, who battled through the two-hour Pilots practice with the flu. "I'm looking forward to it. I'm excited."

Bradley, a 6-3 guard who played the past three seasons at Bellarmine Prep in Tacoma, Wash., cited his relationship with Longhorns assistant coach Chris Ogden as a major influence. Bradley is widely considered a top-10 national prospect for the Class of 2009.

Other Pilots bound for D-I programs include D.J. Richardson, a 6-3 guard from Peoria, Ill., who has committed to Illinois, and UNLV-bound Carlos Lopez, a 6-11 center from Puerto Rico.

Thursday night's practice was attended by UNLV coach Lon Kruger, Illinois coach Bruce Weber and coaches from Iowa State and Marquette. Texas was at Findlay on Wednesday.

Verbal commitments are non-binding. They become binding when prospects sign a national letter of intent, and the early signing period is in November.

Findlay, which will play its third season in 2008-09 and is coached by Mike Peck, is associated with the prestigious Henderson International School.

The Pilots program is sponsored by former UNLV center Cliff Findlay, a prominent Rebels booster and Las Vegas-area automobile magnate.

Findlay has quit taking post-graduate players, a move that will enrich its sponsorship deal with Nike and enable it to play more traditional high schools, so it will be able to enhance its schedule and qualify to appear in major national rankings, like USA Today's.

Locally, it will play home games against Centennial (Nov. 29), Desert Pines (Dec. 11), Green Valley (Dec. 13), Lake Mead Christian (Jan. 13), Eldorado (Feb. 5) and Foothill (Feb. 11). The Pilots will play at Spring Valley (Dec. 2) and at Canyon Springs (Jan. 10). A game with Bishop Gorman is pending.