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St. Charles East's Gentry picks South Dakota State

The offer came late, but it grabbed Cole Gentry's attention.

The St. Charles East three-year starting point guard committed to South Dakota State University on Wednesday, two days after the Jackrabbits extended an offer on Monday.

"It's definitely a good feeling, it's relieving," the 5-foot-11 senior said as he and his father, Alan, drove home Wednesday afternoon from the campus in Brookings, South Dakota. "I'm very thankful for the help I've gotten over the last three years."

Gentry - this season's Upstate Eight Conference River Division most valuable player and honorary co-captain of the Tri-Cities All-Area Boys Basketball Team with Geneva's Nate Navigato - chose South Dakota State over other suitors Furman, Maryland-Baltimore County and Lewis University.

Though they offered only on Monday, either Jackrabbits head coach Scott Nagy or an assistant saw Gentry play Feb. 17 against Evanston and in the playoffs against St. Charles North on March 4, and also attended a practice. Gentry said he'd communicated with the program "for awhile."

Alan and Cole Gentry attended the 23-10, NIT-bound Jackrabbits' 57-56 Summit League loss to North Dakota State on Tuesday night. On Wednesday they met with the coaches, went out to lunch then returned to deliver Nagy and Co. the good news.

Cole Gentry found the values of St. Charles East and the values of South Dakota State to be similar, and similar to his own.

"It's a very family feeling," he said. "Everybody's close on the team and they expect success, and that's important. It's always been my goal to play in the NCAA Tournament and it's a place that's done it two of the last four years. It's a place where I'd have the chance to potentially make that goal become a reality."

A wizard at ball control with much better than a 2-to-1 assists-turnovers ratio, Gentry averaged 18 points and 5 assists this season. Able to break teams down on penetration, he also made 50 percent of his 3-point baskets while averaging better than 2 steals a game. Gentry led the 24-4 Saints to their best record since 1977-78.

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