Morbley Signs With Northridge : Basketball: The top rebounder and second-leading scorer in Orange Coast College history picks the Matadors. He is the team’s fourth recruit.

Continuing its trend toward recruiting high-performance, mid- size models, Cal State Northridge on Tuesday signed Damien Morbley to a basketball letter of intent.

Morbley, a 6-foot-6, 195-pound forward, is, by the numbers, the top player ever produced by Orange Coast College.

Morbley finished his two-year junior college career as the school’s career rebounding leader with 646. He was second on the all-time scoring list with 1,150 points.

“Probably his greatest offensive attribute is he really goes to the ball,” Northridge Coach Pete Cassidy said.

“He has a nose for the ball, and once he gets it into his hands, he has a nose for the basket.”

A former Pomona High star, Morbley last season averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds for Orange Coast, earning first-team All-Orange Empire Conference for the second consecutive year.

Morbley accepted Northridge’s scholarship offer after taking a tour of the school with his father Tuesday afternoon.

He then canceled a scheduled recruiting visit to Washington State next weekend.

“Northridge is close to home, I like the coaches and it’s the level I want to play at,” Morbley said of his decision.

“From what (Cassidy) is telling me, we have some athletic people coming in.”

Morbley is the fourth player to commit to Northridge.

The others are Kevin Taylor, a 6-7 forward from Sacramento City College; Derrick Higgins, a 6-2 swingman from Los Angeles City College; and Kevin Deal, a 6-foot guard from College of the Sequoias.

Each of those players likes an up-tempo pace.

“We’d like to do that,” Cassidy said. “We’d like to think Damien is the kind of athlete who fits into that type of scheme.”