By Christopher Duclos

It’s official. Seth Berger will be wearing the colors of the University of Massachusetts Minutemen basketball squad next season.

It was an exciting morning for Ballard High as basketball player Seth Berger signed his national letter of intent to University of Massachusetts. The event of his signing took place at the Ballard High School cafeteria, where his peers, family and team mates came out to support his decision.

Berger committed to UMass on Sep. 14, 2012. The signing was the official stamp of approval.

Standing at 6-7, 210 pounds, many colleges were interested in Berger. He ranks at 5th best in the state of Washington for the class of 2013. Berger is rated at three stars according to ESPN and is the 47th best player at his position in the nation. Scout.com said of Berger, “A slasher and hustler who could become a true force as he grows and spends time in the weight room.”

ESPN.com writes: "Berger is a rangy 4/3 with very good length and solid athleticism. He has a very nice 1st step off the dribble and he has a knack of getting in the lane for the score. His pull-up game is solid and he is an astute passer."

Berger had this to say about his decision “I’m super happy that I can get all this finalized. I’m really looking forward to joining UMass’s program and just super thankful to everyone that has supported me throughout the years.”

Among those who are proud of Seth’s accomplishment, there is Ballard High basketball coach William Rodgers:

”We are excited to have Seth joining the UMass program. As a coach you love to see great kids succeed. Seth comes from a great family and really has his priorities straight. Faith, Family, School, and then basketball. He went to McClure Middle School on Queen Anne. He played in the Emerald City Basketball Academy in the off season. Seth has been a four year starter and two year captain. He has really improved in his first three years. He has been a part of three league playoffs and one state tournament. I know his goal this year is to take the Beavers into the playoffs. Individually he is a tough cover and one of the best players in our league. His size and athleticism is really a tough match up. He is very explosive. We are working on getting him to score and get to the free-throw line in different ways."

The Beavers preseason starts off with the Boys Basketball Jamboree. The game will take place on Monday, November 26 at the Eastside Catholic Gym. Junior varsity plays the first game at 5:30pm and Varsity tips off at 7:00PM.

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