Nov. 20, 2009
DAVIS, Calif. - One of the top scoring juniors in the country has signed a National Letter of Intent to join the UC Davis men's basketball program, announced head coach Gary Stewart. The commitment comes from Josh Ritchart, who ranked 20th in the nation in scoring a year ago. The 6-foot-9, 220-pound forward is from Auburn, Calif., and currently attends Forest Lake Christian School. He is the third future Aggie to commit during the early period.
Ritchart helped lead the Falcons to a Sac-Joaquin Section championship as a sophomore as well as back-to-back first-place finishes in the Central Valley Christian League. Ritchart averaged 26.2 points per game last year to go along with 12.3 rebounds, six blocks and three assists. He was the most valuable player and First-Team All-League member of the CVCL. He scored 30 or more points 10 times, including two games with over 40 points.
"Josh was the most sought after student-athlete we have ever recruited," said Stewart. "He has exceptional ball skills and possess a great feel for the game. He is an elite shooter who has the unique ability to make his teammates better. Josh is very bouncy, and his length affords him the ability to impact a game on both ends of the floor."
As a sophomore, Ritchart averaged 15.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. He also posted 5.1 blocks per game and shot 60 percent from the field. He was named Second-Team All-CVCL. Over the course of his sophomore and junior seasons, Ritchart helped lead Forest Lake to a combined 43 victories. The four-year varsity starter began his prep career averaging 7.8 points and six rebounds per game as a freshman. He has shot 60-percent or better from the field all three years.
"Josh is an outstanding person and student which is a direct reflection on his family and Forest Lake Christian School," added Stewart. "We are thrilled with his decision and are confident he will be a tremendous ambassador for UC Davis and the basketball program.
Ritchart was a third-team 2009 Best of The West selection by the Long Beach Telegram and was ranked No. 2 in the state by NorCal Preps and No. 3 by West Coast Hoops Report. ESPN.com put him at No. 45 among power forwards in the nation. Ritchart was among the top-30 selections in the past summer's Cream of the Crop game and he was also selected to the Rumble By the Bay.
Ritchart joins Mike Kurtz (C, 7-0, 190, Roseville, Calif./Woodcreek HS) and Alex Tiffin (F, 6-8, 200, Thousand Oaks, Calif./Thousand Oaks Calif.) as part of the UC Davis early signing class. All three future Aggies were ranked among the top-50 in the nation at their respective positions by ESPN.com.
"This is the highest rated class to ever enroll at UC Davis. It is extremely rare that you identify your needs in recruiting, then rank the student-athletes and go out and secure commitments from the top-three players on your board," said Stewart. "This class is the culmination of a lot of hard work put in by our recruiting coordinator Kevin Nosek and assistant coaches Brandon Laird and John Lamanna. Alex, Josh and Mike are talented student-athletes who care about winning. They have the potential to make a significant impact next year and beyond."
UC Davis resumes action Tuesday when it hosts North Dakota State at 7 p.m. at The Pavilion.
