Peek Accepts Scholarship to St. Mary’s

Ali Peek of Hart High, a Times All-Valley forward last season and among the area’s most powerful inside players the past two years, has accepted a Division I basketball scholarship from St. Mary’s College in Moraga.

Peek (6-foot-5, 245 pounds) made the decision after visiting the campus last weekend and after months of trying to land a Division I offer.

“It was just a nice environment,” Peek said of St. Mary’s. “It was quiet and tucked up in the hills. Sort of a place to get away from things and concentrate. As far as basketball goes, I think we’re going to be a good team in the next four years.”

As a Hart senior, Peek averaged 24.2 points and 15 rebounds while leading Hart to a 17-10 record and a Foothill League co-championship.

Peek, the league’s most valuable player and an All-Southern Section selection, was overpowering at times. In a game against Schurr with the league title at stake, Peek had a career-high 40 points and a school-record 23 rebounds.

Throughout the season, Peek received letters from several Division I schools. Peek struggled academically, scoring the NCAA-required 700 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test for the first time in June after three previous attempts.

“I was kind of worried,” Peek said. “My goal since eighth grade was to go on to Division I after high school.”

St. Mary’s was 13-17 last season, finishing sixth in the West Coast Conference with a 4-10 mark. The seven-team conference includes Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Portland and Gonzaga.

“I look at Ali as someone who, potentially, will have a big impact in the conference with his size and strength,” St. Mary’s Coach Ernie Kent said. “We’re just ecstatic to get a player with his ability.”