One of the major steals of the fall occurred on Monday afternoon as Jordan Ford, a 6-foot guard from Folsom High in California, came off the board by committing to Saint Mary’s.

After entertaining UCSB and Oregon State among his final three, Ford decided to end his recruitment by selecting the Gaels. Randy Bennett has been known for finding underrated ballplayers from across the seas in Australia, but he didn’t have to go too far in perching a giant steal out of California.

Ford ran with the Oakland Soldiers bunch this past summer on the Nike EYBL circuit and displayed a bevy of upside and immediate production on the hardwood. He might not pass the looks test but his stats definitely do. He averaged nearly 13 points per game while making over 40-percent of his long distance attempts. Add in his 2.25-to-1, assist-to-turnover ratio, and the ability to average over a steal per game, and what the WCC program received on Monday is a solid two-way producer at the lead guard spot.

There were a lot of things to like about Saint Mary’s for Ford, of which he spoke on briefly. “They have great coaches, the location is close to home, and it is a great fit in a high level conference.”

Many overlooked the heady floor general because of the looks test but when it came down to it, Ford kept winning games. In the most crucial of moments, Ford would step his game up in either hitting timely shots, or making pinpoint passes in finding open teammates near the basket. In three years, it wouldn’t be all that surprising for many of the west coast programs wishing they had the chance to lure Ford to their respective program for the time being.