Santa Monica, CA

August 15, 2019

Santa Monica College Men's Basketball Grey shirt freshman Maxwell Moses has signed a scholarship to continue his academic and athletic career at Ottawa University in Arizona. Moses, a 6-5 small forward, who played high school basketball at Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) and travel ball with BTI Basketball Club, has four years of eligibility remaining.

Moses was a grey shirt freshman this past year at Santa Monica College. A grey shirt is a student-athlete that goes to school part-time, practices with the team, does not play in games, and preserves his or hers athletic eligibility.

"We are so excited for Max! This is what Santa Monica College is about. Max gets to enjoy four fantastic years on scholarship at a university. In most cases, a junior college student-athlete plays two years and then has two years left to play at a university," Head Coach Joshua Thomas explained.

Ottawa University is a NAIA school that is located in Surprise, Arizona. The coaching staff at Ottawa University expressed high interest in Moses and had him down for a visit. Moses yielded multiple NAIA scholarship offers and a walk-on spot from a prestigious local Division I program.

Moses enjoyed the visit, and after some days of deliberation he committed to Ottawa University.

"The coaching staff at Ottawa University are first class. They showed how much they wanted Max. They saw his ability to play multiple positions and shoot the basketball," said Coach Thomas. "Max got better everyday this past year at SMC. Max improved his body under the guidance and training of our strength and conditioning coach Matthew Hank and his staff. Max's feel for the game is great, and our staff is elated that he gets to move on. This is what we are all about. We care about the best interest of our student-athletes at SMC. Student-athletes come here to get a great education and sign a scholarship after playing. Well, Max was able to do that without playing a single game here, and we could not be more proud!"

"What I like the most about this is that this was Max's goal all along. When I met him a year ago, he let me know that he wanted to grey shirt and improve his game so he could get a scholarship after his one year. He did that! I love seeing people reach their goals that they set out," said Coach Thomas. "Max is a thoughtful young man and a great teammate. Our staff and team look forward to following his career in Arizona."