Banner picks up another big offer

Zach Banner is 6 feet 9 and 310 pounds and is a special talent on the football field and the basketball court. Now Notre Dame has offered, another big school involved with the Lakewood (Wash.) Lakes standout who's trying to play both sports in college.

"That's his deal, football," said Daryl Hennings, Banner's AAU coach with Seattle Rotary. "He's maturing as a basketball player and he's turning into a really good basketball player but he's a football player for real. He dominates. It's pretty fun and I'm sure he's going to be successful in whatever he chooses to do.

"If he keeps working out the way he's working out and he keeps his weight under control and works on his legs I wouldn't even say he's much better at football than he is basketball.

"If he gets some explosion he's an incredible basketball talent because he's a fierce competitor and he also has some pretty soft hands. All he's missing in basketball is being able to explode and dunk the ball."

Arizona State, California, LSU, Oregon, UCLA and Washington are the other schools that have already verbally offered Banner, a 2012 prospect who excelled in Las Vegas last month on the AAU basketball circuit and has dominated at football camps this off-season as well.

The idea to play both football and basketball is still in Banner's head and so Hennings said Banner's recruitment could be altered depending on which schools will allow him to try it.

Whether or not Banner will focus on one sport is yet to be seen but schools from across the country are at least giving him the option to consider playing football and basketball at the next level.

"The caliber of kid, the type of kid he is, he's going to listen, he's going to learn and he's going to try to get better every day," Hennings said. "I don't know what he's going to turn out to be but he's going to be successful.

"Right now he's thinking about doing both. If he gets a little taller he might lean toward basketball but the idea right now is to try to do both.

"There are only going to be a certain number of schools that are going to allow him to do that. He and his parents are going to play it out and see where he lands. As of right now he has the idea that he's going to do both."