Wilde signs with Hawaii Hilo University

Oregon City, Ore. - Zach Wilde became the third Cougar off this year's championship team to accept a full ride basketball scholarship. The Cougars' 6' 7" freshman post, has signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Hawaii Hilo University. Wilde, from Snohomish High School, stared all 32 games on this season' s 29-3 team and was named to the all-freshman team in the Southern region. He averaged 7.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists, and 23 minutes for the year.

Said Coach Wegner: "We're happy for him because that was one of his big goals when he came to CCC: to earn a scholarship at a university and earn his bachelor's degree. He really wanted to be at a university with that kind of campus life and he had already accomplished the ultimate team achievements at this level. He was really a big part of our team, as a versatile post player that was an outstanding passer. We all would love to have him back to defend our championships, but we all celebrate his fortune and wish him the best. It's a great scholarship that will cover all of his education for his bachelor's degree."

Hawaii Hilo is a Division II school that competes in the Pacific West Conference. The Vulcans finished the 2009 season at 15-12 overall and tied 7-5 in league games to tie for third in the conference. Wilde is projected to come in and compete for a starting spot in the Hilo line up.

Incidentally, Wilde is the latest in a long line of Clackamas Cougars to earn basketball scholarships to schools in the Hawaiian Islands. He follows Mark Campbell ('01) and Michael Kuebler ('02) who starred at the University of Hawaii, and Nate Block ('01), Marvin Noble Jr. ('02) and Alex Swerzbin ('04) who all played at Hawaii Pacific University.