Diew decides for the education

A lot of lip service is paid by young men and their parents about education being first and foremost over prestige and bragging rights but then the decision is made to matriculate at Northeast by Southwest Tech.

That isn't the story with Ryan Diew.

Diew, of Head-Royce School and the Oakland Rebels, is one who has always stressed that personal edification was at the top of his list. So when the moment arrived , he decided that Colgate University in Hamilton, New York was the overall best situation for him.

The student population there is 2,800 and the Raiders are a member of the Patriot League alongside American, Army, Bucknell, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh and Navy. Boston and Loyola Maryland are joining up come September.

The Colgate bonafides: other than the Ivy League, the Patriot League is considered as the most selective group of universities in NCAA Division I and is just behind the Ivy League in highest student-athlete graduation rate. It is also noted as a member of the "Hidden Ivies: Thirty Colleges of Excellence" and well as one of Newsweek's "New Ivies."

The 6-foot-3 Diew (who has added a half inch just recently) offered this about his decision: "

"I think real highly of academics and have always wanted to attend a good academic school whether it a DI, D2 or D3 one. That was the deciding factor. When I talked with the coaches on my visit, they told me I would get a fair shake."

But initially, Diew's sense of Colgate was one of remoteness. It's located in the midlands of New York state, 40 miles southeast of Syracuse and 250 miles northwest of the Big Apple. He wasn't so sure.

"I was doing research every night on College Prowler and other sites. The campus is gorgeous and the area is beautiful but I just needed to know more."

One selling point (remember we are usually talking about large teenagers) proved to be the 'nutrition availability' category: "I like to eat and the dining plan for freshman is you can eat as many times as you want each day."

Asked what he will bring to the Raiders, Diew said, "I think I'll be a utility guy, doing whatever the team needs me to do. I've always been a good teammates. Plus, my shooting and uncanny knack for finishing."

Diew has yet to decide the the areas of study of most interest for him are computer science, business and biology as he sees himself working Silicon Valley or in corporate finance or becoming a doctor.

Right now, he's working out and playing in the San Francisco Pro-Am League and will be heading to the Empire State in late summer.