Geben makes the call
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After making the trek to Notre Dame last weekend the four-star forward/center from St. Maria Goretti High School in Hagerstown, Md., took a few days to consider things then ended the process.
Geben committed to Irish head coach Mike Brey on Friday afternoon, a source confirmed to Irish Illustrated.
Geben had been scheduled to visit Virginia this weekend but instead cancelled that visit and went ahead with a verbal pledge. Notre Dame put its best foot forward during last weekend's official visit, which coincided with the footballs season opener.
"They were just showing me around the school and having me talk to different people," Geben told Irish Illustrated after the trip. "They wanted to make sure I'm welcome there and everybody was friendly. They showed the basketball facilities and everything."
Notre Dame won out over other scholarship offers from Virginia, American, Bucknell, Cincinnati, Dayton, Fairfield, George Mason, George Washington, Holy Cross, James Madison, Loyola, Marquette, Maryland, Miami, St. Joseph's, Temple, Towson, Villanova and Xavier.
Brey and assistant coach Anthony Solomon tracked the 6-foot-9, 220-pound prospect extensively throughout the spring and summer as he traveled with Team Takeover on the EYBL circuit.
Geben averaged 7.5 points and 6.6 rebounds in 13 games for Takeover while shooting 51 percent (38-74) from the field. He also spent time in the offseason competing for Lithuania in the U-19 World Championships. Geben, whose parents still live in Lithuania, helped it to a bronze medal finish in that event.
Along the way Geben showed a game continuing to grow.
"Geben is one of those kids that doesn't jump out at you at first," Rivals.com national analyst Eric Bossi said. "But the more you watch him you can't help but appreciate his game. He is skilled and tough around the hoop, can face up with some touch and seems comfortable playing any style."
"The Notre Dame staff worked this one hard and made it clear to Geben that he was a priority for quite some time. He should be an excellent fit in South Bend and as he gets stronger should develop into an outstanding contributor as both a scorer and rebounder."
Landing Geben gives Notre Dame its first commitment in the Class of 2014 with two more scholarships to give. Other targets will be making their way to South Bend in the coming weeks.
Five-star small forward Devin Robinson is expected to make an official visit Sept. 21 for the Michigan State football weekend. Four-star power forward Reid Travis, four-star center Michael Humphrey and Rivals150 forward Bonzie Colson are all scheduled for the weekend of Sept. 28.
Geben checks in at No. 98 in the most recent Rivals150.
