A trio of men's basketball players – including a pair from the Northwest -- have signed letters of intent to attend Eastern Washington University and play for the Eagles next season, head coach Shantay Legans announced Wednesday (April 17).
 
The players include two-time first team All-State selection Steele Venters, a 6-foot-7 guard/forward from Ellensburg (Wash.) High School. Six-foot-2 point guard Ellis Magnuson signed out of Borah High School in Boise, Idaho, where he was Idaho's 5A Player of the Year in 2019 as selected by USA Today. Also signed was 6-9 forward Adriel "Bonez" Linares from Sunnybrook Christian HS in San Antonio, Texas.
 
They join a trio of winter signees -- 6-7 guard/forward Jacob Groves from Shadle Park High School in nearby Spokane, Wash., 6-6 guard/forward Tyler Robertson from Melbourne, Australia, and Abdullahi Mohamed, a 6-foot-8 power forward from West Seattle High School.
 
Steele averaged 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists per game as a senior, including a career-high of 37 points and four other games with at least 30 points. He was first team Associated Press 2A All-State selection as a junior when he averaged 26 points per game, and averaged 13 as a sophomore. Steele scored over 1,200 points in his career.
 
"Steele is a talented scorer who gives us size and skill on the perimeter," said Legans. "We've been able to watch him develop over the last few years and every time we saw him he kept getting better and bigger. Steele fits in great with our guys, and he has a chance to be a high-level scorer here while his length provides versatility with our defense."
 
He helped Ellensburg to a 16-6 record in his senior season and the school's first Central Washington Athletic Conference title in more than 15 years. The Bulldogs beat Selah 79-78 to end the regular season and clinch the title with a 16-2 record, with Steele scoring 32 points in that game. It ended Selah's streak of three-straight titles as Steele earned first team All-CWAC honors for the second-straight season.
 
Off the court, he accumulated a 3.26 grade point average in high school and was a member of the National Honor Society. Steele has coached a sixth grade AAU team in Ellensburg, has volunteered for the Ellensburg Rodeo garbage pick-up, and also actively supports the cancer awareness fundraising drive. His parents are Erin and Wade Steele, and he has a sister, Haley.
 
Magnuson was the USA Today Idaho 5A Player of the Year in his senior season when he led the Lions to the State 5A title and a 24-3 record. He averaged 15 points, six assists and two steals per game over the last two years, and had 31 points and seven assists in the district championship game in which Borah defeated defending 5A District 3 champion Rocky Mountain 69-61. He scored 22 in a 62-50 victory over Madison in the state title game, giving Borah its first championship since 2013 and its state-best 12th overall.
 
He was also selected to represent the "Metro" in the 16th annual Idaho Statewide High School All-Star Basketball Game on March 23, but was unable to play. Magnuson was awarded first team All-State as a junior, and excelled on the AAU circuit, playing for Hoop Dreams.
 
"Ellis is one of the best passers I've seen coming out of high school," praised Legans, a point guard himself in his playing days. "He does a great job of getting others involved in the offense, and is always putting pressure on the defense. Ellis has football toughness and has proven that he's a winner at every level he's played which will carry on here at EWU."
 
Magnuson played football for Borah as a wide receiver, and earned first team All-State honors as a junior and second team as a senior. He accumulated a 3.2 GPA in high school while showing an interest in pursuing zoology and biology in college. He volunteers his time playing sports and reading to elementary school children on a weekly basis.
 
His parents are Jessica and Josh Magnuson, and he has a sister, Brenna. His mother is an elementary teacher at White Pine and his father is a police officer for the city of Boise and lettered as a linebacker at the University of Idaho from 1991-93.
 
 "Ellis has great vision, combined with an uncanny ability to pass the ball on the basketball court," added Legans. "He is a true point guard that makes every player around him better, and we are thrilled to sign such a valuable asset on and off the floor to our program."
 
As a senior, Linares averaged 10.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.9 blocked shots, 2.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game. He had season highs of 18 points, 18 rebounds, nine blocks, eight assists and five steals, with seven double-doubles. He had 16 points, 18 boards, eight assists, three steals and five blocks in an 84-53 win over Cornerstone Christian.
 
He was twice honored as a Texas Christian Athletic League All-Star at Sunnybrook Christian. The Lions finished the 2018-19 season with a 19-9 record.
 
"Adriel is a big-time athlete, but also has skills on the perimeter," said Legans. "With his size and athleticism he has the potential to fill a similar role to what Jake Wiley and Venky Jois played here in the past. He has some inside-outside game that will translate well in our offense, and his size and length can anchor our defense."
 
While in high school, he volunteered in a Pay it Forward School Supply Drive and was also a volunteer at the Antonio Daniels Basketball Camp. His parents are Jose and Jackie Linares, and he has two brothers – Andrew and Adrian. His father is owner of Vida Connect Inc., and his mother is a retail supervisor at Burlington. Andrew Linares is an Air Force veteran and Adrian Linares is an entrepreneur.