She waited all the way until signing day to make it official. After a long college recruiting process, Seton Catholic High School's gifted 5-foot-10 senior post Julia Barcello would sign her official national letter of intent on Wednesday afternoon - ending her college recruitment.
After considering heavy interest and offers from such division-I college programs as Arizona State, San Diego, Colorado, UC-Santa Barbara and Princeton, Barcello chose to a college program that was strong in academics as well as athletics - signing a national letter of intent with Colgate University and head coach Nicci Hays Fort and her women's basketball staff.
Barcello gained valuable recruitment opportunities after playing this spring and summer with the Arizona Blue Star club program coached by Dana Hawkins.
One of the top prospects in the 2014 class, Barcello is the top player for the former 3-time defending state champion, Seton Catholic High School. In our last post-summer player rankings, Barcello checked in as our #4 overall prospect in the class.
After helping lead her Seton Catholic team to their third consecutive state championship as a sophomore, Barcello returned as a junior in a big way – leading her team in numerous statistical categories en route to a 30-5 overall record on the season.
Look for Barcello to have a big senior season in the final season of an illustrious high school career.
Barcello is also an excellent student and carries a perfect 4.0 CUM GPA.
Congratulations to Julia and her family on this amazing accomplishment by our staff here at Arizona Preps.
Arizona Hoop Review Scouting Report: Barcello is a strong low post prospect that enjoys playing inside the paint and is a good finisher around the basket. She has worked hard on her offensive skills away from the basket, and has now developed a soft touch from the perimeter out to 18 feet, although she is at her best from mid-range and on the low block. She is a crafty offensive threat with good footwork and a high basketball IQ. She is a strong rebounder on both ends of the floor and does not mind physical contact. She competes hard and enjoys doing the dirty work that it takes to help her team win basketball games. Barcello is also a very good passer and does not force shots often - a compliment to the veteran leadership of Seton Catholic head coach Karen Self. Also a good defensive player that is capable of either guarding post players or players on the wing, although she will need to continue to develop her footspeed for the collegiate level to defend quicker players on the wing. Barcello is a well-coached talent and a strong team player that enjoys the game and is a winner.