Bender on board

West Virginia added its second commitment this week when Grundy (Va.) Mountain Mission forward and top target Maciej Bender committed to West Virginia.

Bender, 6-foot-10, 205-pounds, officially visited West Virginia for the Maryland game and had narrowed his choices down to the Mountaineers and Ole Miss and confirmed that he was not planning to take any official visits. The visit to Morgantown went well enough to have the talented big-man end his recruitment.

"Thank you to all the schools that recruited me, but I'm proud to say that I have committed to West Virginia University! #coutryroadstakemehome," Bender tweeted.

The news of the commitment was confirmed by the Mountain Mission twitter account.

"Breaking news … Maciej Bender commits to Bob Huggins and his West Virginia Mountaineers," the tweet read.

The Polish big man had attracted offers from Arizona State, Mississippi, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Providence, Davidson and a host of other programs and had moved up recruiting boards in recent weeks due to his plus ball skills and ability to hit shots at all three levels of the floor.

Ron Everhart served as the lead recruiter for West Virginia and developed a strong relationship not only with the younger Bender but his father Robert.

"West Virginia is a fantastic place with incredible fans. Their basketball program is known very well in Europe and of course Coach (Bob) Huggins is a very famous person," the elder Bender said.

The European big man becomes the third true commitment for West Virginia in the class of 2016 and following Hermitage (Pa.) Kennedy Catholic forward Sagaba Konate who committed Thursday evening along with Wheeling Central (W.Va.) guard Chase Harler.

WVSports.com will have more on the commitment of Bender.

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