Gus Gabel, a 6'7" wing player from Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona, has committed to play basketball at Princeton. As discussed here a few days ago, this athletic scorer originally made an unofficial visit this summer to Princeton "mostly for [his] parents" according to an article on azcentral.com.
We had a chance to speak with Gabel's high school coach Aaron Windler yesterday afternoon and he told us more about Gabel's game and how Princeton landed this new recruit. Exclusive quotes and links to articles and evaluations about Gabel can be found after the jump.
Gabel, who averaged 18 ppg and six rebounds a contest for the Firebirds as a junior, decided on the Tigers after making official visits to Princeton, Yale and Denver. He also paid unofficial visits to Penn, Northern Colorado and UCSD.
Windler, in his first season at Chaparral after previously coaching across town at Coronado High School, described Gabel as "Very long. He can shoot the three very well. Can go in the post a little bit. Very athletic, very bouncy."
"We would like him to be a triple threat - shoot, penetrate and work inside," Windler added. "We'll be working on that quite a bit."
While Windler praised Gabel's athleticism, shooting touch and ability to put the ball in the basket, he did say that his senior wing must "work on his left hand and work on maintaining a lower stance offensively and defensively."
What was a deciding factor in Gabel's commitment? According to Windler, the dedication and persistence of the Tigers' coaching staff paid off. "I think [Gus] really liked Coach Johnson," Windler said. "He really appreciated that Princeton coaches were at all of his [AAU] games this summer in Texas, Colorado and Nevada. They were everywhere. When he did his official visit he really enjoyed being around the players and it felt like home to him."
"I think the people at Princeton will be happy to have him," Windler concluded. "It will definitely help turn the program around."
What have others had to say about the third member of Princeton's 2009 recruiting class?
Azcentral.com wrote that Gabel "can play multiple positions (from two-guard to center), has strong leadership skills and is quite coachable."
Joel Francisco Scouts Inc. called Gabel "one of the pleasant surprises of [the Double Pump Spring Tournament]. He's fairly bouncy and his jump shot is terrific out to the stripe."
A story on arizonavarsity.com tells of a coach who "tried everything to limit Gabel's touches, but he still got 25pts."
After last season Gabel was named Honorable Mention 4A All-State by the East Valley Tribune and the Arizona Republic.
