WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzly Basketball sophomore standout Gage Wooten is going north.

Wooten, a 6-foot, 4-inch guard/forward, from Centennial, Colo., Wednesday afternoon, April 11, signed a national letter of intent to play basketball for the next two seasons at Minnesota State University in Mankato.  The Mavericks compete in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, an NCAA Division II league.

“I believe Gage will be a great fit up at Minnesota State.  He can do everything they need him to do on both ends of the floor,” Grizzly Basketball Head Coach Yancey Walker said.  “I’m excited for him to get to play in front of big crowds and have a chance to play in the NCAA Division II tournament.”

Wooten, who will major in business, said he chose Minnesota State “because of the community and their winning tradition.  I also got along well with the players and the coaching staff, and they have nice facilities.”

Wooten, who received honorable mention All-American honors from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) earlier this week, averaged 18 points and 7 rebounds during the 2011-2012 regular season.  He shot 55 percent from the field, 34 percent from 3-point range and 81 percent  from the charity stripe.

During his freshman season in 2009-10, he averaged 12 points and six rebounds during the regular season.  He shot 58 percent from the field and 41 percent from 3-point range.  He also connected on 62 percent of his shots from the free throw line.

“My time in West Plains has been a good experience,” Wooten said.  “I’m glad that I attended Missouri State-West Plains.  I also want to thank Bob and Donna Frey for being great host parents during my time in West Plains.”

“We are proud of Gage, and as I have said before, our team, and I personally, will miss him a tremendous amount,” Walker said.  “He brought his best effort almost every day.  We knew Gage would be a good fit in our program, but for him to be able to cap off his Grizzly career as an All-American is a fitting end.

“One of the hardest parts of the collegiate coaching profession is seeing our young men move on,” the coach continued.  “It is completely bittersweet, but Gage has given an immense amount to our program and our institution.”

For more information about the Grizzly Basketball program, visit the team’s website at http://www.wp.missouristate.edu/grizzly/bb.htm or call the Grizzly Basketball office at 417-255-7993.