(Editors note: Carroll College media release)
HELENA -- Carroll College men's basketball coach Kurt Paulson announced the signing of Guilherme Pedra out of Los Angeles on Monday.
"I want to thank Coach Paulson and all the coaching staff for believing in me and giving me an opportunity to play at Carroll," Pedra said. "I feel like this experience is going to be great for both my academic and my basketball goals. I would also like to thank Coach (Will) Middlebrooks and my teammates at Cathedral High School for helping me get better every day and preparing me to continue my career at the college level. I can't wait for this next chapter to begin."
Pedra becomes the first signee of Paulson's 2020 class.
"I love how Gui gets out on the break and fills the wing and runs," Paulson said. "He will fit in with our style of play by pushing the ball after stops on the defensive end. He can get to the free throw line and looks for his shot either by attacking, or he can really shoot the ball from outside. His game is a combination of Alejandro Santos Piqueras with his court vision and Jovan Sljivancanin with his ability to score the ball. He has a very cerebral game where he is seeing the open man before the play develops."
Pedra is a 6-foot-6 forward out of the fabled Cathedral High, the same prepping school as former Saints Lorel Johnson and Ife Kalejaiye. He is originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil and played for the clubs Palmeiras and Paulistano before coming to LA and playing three seasons for Cathedral.
"We are happy that he chose Carroll to continue his academic and basketball journey and thankful that we can keep the pipeline from Cathedral High School in Los Angeles alive," Paulson said. "Coach Will Middlebrooks and his wife Nia help these players mature so when they arrive on a college campus they are ready for the challenges that college basketball presents. Gui will be well prepared for the college game due to his tutelage from Cathedral and Coach Middlebrooks. Cathedral is the same program that produced Carroll greats in Lorel Johnson and Ife Kalejaiye."
According to MaxPreps.com, Pedra averaged 24.8 points per game last season, while pulling in 5.7 rebounds and dishing 2.6 assists. He helped guide his team to a 24-5 record, including an 8-0 mark in league play. The Phantoms won the Camino Real League for a second consecutive season and advanced to the CIF-SS Division 2AA Playoffs.
"Guilherme Pedra is an outstanding basketball player and an even better person," Middlebrooks said. "He was an integral part of a historic three-year run, winning back-to-back league championships his junior and senior year, a second-place league finish his sophomore year and picking up a few tournament championships along the way. He was voted MVP of our league by my coaching peers and has consistently proven to be an exceptional student in the classroom. I am excited to see what he will accomplish during his college career."
