Fourth school in four years for MC grad

Eric Waterford already knows what it means to go through a Final Four.

Not the March Madness kind for the freshman guard at the University of Portland, but his own personal basketball journey — a four-year path that has included stints at four different schools.

He's at Portland to stay, and tonight his Pilots visit Pacific for a first-round game in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. Think NIT for mid-majors.

Through his junior season, Waterford was a student at Davis High. He transferred to Modesto Christian for his senior year in an effort to improve his college basketball marketability.

When scholarship offers didn't flow in as freely as he wished, Waterford enrolled at St. Thomas More Prep School in Oakdale, Conn., a high-powered basketball college prep program. One year later, he signed with Portland, an emerging program in the West Coast Conference.

Four stops in four years.

"I never really thought about it that way," Waterford said. "I've adapted from Davis to MC to prep school to here pretty well. Every one of those situations is different, but the ride to get here has worked out and I'm glad to be here."

Waterford's playing time has been limited this season, typical for a freshman. He's seen action in 18 of the Pilots' 31 games, and has received more court time as the season has progressed. In Portland's 71-61 loss to St. Mary's in the WCC Tournament semifinals, Waterford had seven points and three assists in 18 minutes.

"He's had his opportunities to play this season, and he's played well for us in some big games," said Portland coach Eric Reveno, in his third season at the school. "But it's all about being consistent."

Reveno, a former Stanford player and assistant, said he has confidence in Waterford. The Pilots, who have gone 19-12 this season with no seniors on the roster, will need Waterford to increase his role next year to be ready for a starting spot as a junior in 2010-11.

"The other two point guards in the program will be seniors next year," Reveno said. "Now that Eric knows the point guard position, he can play both there and at off-guard off the bench for us next year. But the year after next, he'll be the only point guard in the program with experience. We'll be recruiting for that position, but right now it's all him."

It's exactly the situation Waterford was seeking while going through the yearly transfer process. Only one Division I school — CSU Northridge — offered Waterford a scholarship out of high school, so prep school was a good fit.

Prep schools are scarce on the West Coast but common back east. In most cases, they are private schools offering a post-graduate niche where student-athletes can focus on basketball and college entry-level academics while delaying the start of their five-year NCAA eligibility clock.

"The academics there were just as hard as in college," Waterford said. "I know no one on the West Coast goes to a prep school, but it prepared me for this level because of the competition we played. Off my team last year, six of us got Division I scholarships."

Reveno said Waterford was in his recruiting database out of high school, but emerged as a viable recruit after averaging 14 points per game in a prep school season.

"His maturity and his feel for the game were the main two things we recognized early," Reveno said. "It was clear to us that he had the desire to play basketball at a high level."

Tonight will be a new experience for everyone involved. This is the inaugural CIT, and while Waterford admits he'd never heard of the tournament prior to last week, he's happy for the chance to extend his freshman season.

"Of course we wanted to play in the NCAA or NIT, but really we wanted any opportunity to keep playing," Waterford said. "It wasn't hard to get excited about playing in this tournament, and when I found out I was coming back home to play I was very excited. I know I'll have a lot of people supporting me there."

Bee staff writer Brian VanderBeek can be reached at bvanderbeek@modbee.com or 578-2300.