Campbell Hall’s Lopez Commits to Washington

Campbell Hall High center Alex Lopez became the second area basketball player in two days to orally commit to Washington, joining Thousand Oaks’ Jason Hartman, who made a similar decision the previous day.

“He decided on Washington because the academics are excellent, Seattle is beautiful, it’s the Pac-10 and (Coach) Bob Bender’s past success speaks for itself,” said Lopez’s mother, Deborah Ledford, who confirmed her son’s choice Saturday.

Lopez, who committed Friday, could not be reached for comment.

Lopez, 6-feet-11, averaged 11.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game last season. Ledford said her son has always played well with Hartman on summer teams--another factor in his decision to choose Washington.

“It’s nice that we’re going to the same school,” Hartman said. “But I hope (Lopez) made the decision based on what’s best for him.”

Lopez this fall will be a starter for the fourth consecutive year at Campbell Hall, which never had a winning season before his arrival. The Vikings won the Southern Section Division V-A title while he was a sophomore.