Utah State basketball recruits send in Letters of Intent

Jojo McGlaston and Viko Noma'aea didn't have big, blowout-style events to sign their Letters of Intent. That wasn't what they wanted.

They celebrated their scholarships to play basketball at Utah State in similar fashion: Surrounded by family and friends who supported them over the years.

"I had gotten nervous in the last week — I don't know why," said McGlaston, a 6-foot-4 guard out of California who signed at his high school gym. "It felt good to sign. The support, it was real nice."

Noma'aea signed in his parents' office, with his mom, dad, brother and best friend all present to see the end of his recruiting journey nearly two years after he graduated.

"Oh man, what a day" said Noma'aea, a 6-foot-1 guard from Las Vegas. "It was really precious to have everybody there. I wanted to share the success with those people."

Both of the remaining recruits in Utah State's 2013 class signed and sent in their Letters of Intent Thursday afternoon, bringing the number of Aggie freshmen next year to five. The school has not yet officially confirmed that it has received the letters, but both recruits told The Tribune they're officially Aggies.

McGlaston and Noma'aea both committed this spring, bringing youth and scoring ability to a back court that is slated to graduate a heap of talent after next season. Preston Medlin, Spencer Butterfield and TeNale Roland all have one more year of eligibility left. Marvin Jean is expected to transfer this offseason.

McGlaston committed this February, and is seen as a high-energy scorer who will bring athleticism necessary to compete in the Mountain West. He had two months to chew on his decision, and he said he still feels good about it.

"I had a lot of time to talk to people and get a feel," he said. "I thought I created good bonds with people that I'm going to play with."

Not many recruits have come out of Dublin High — McGlaston learned that he was the first DI basketball signee in decades, which he described as "extra motivation" to make the most of his Aggie career. He said he's planning to report to campus June 14, the day after graduation.

Noma'aea was a late addition, a 20-year-old coming off an LDS mission to Paris. He's expected to be an additional scoring and passing threat at one of the guard positions. He committed to the Aggies on Tuesday, but has already felt the warm embrace of fans.

"Man, I feel so great about it," he said. "The support I'm getting already, it's amazing."

Noma'aea confirmed he had sent his letter Thursday night, taking a little extra time to look it over because he hopes to hang it on his wall one day. He's expected to make a visit to the campus next week.

kgoon@sltrib.com

Twitter: @kylegoon