Ex-Bobcats Fields, Charles to continue playing careers at college in Michigan
Former San Angelo Central High School student-athletes Chace Fields and Jakob Charles will be taking their talents to Adrian College in Michigan.
Fields and Charles made their plans official during a signing ceremony at the Sports Next Level complex on Wednesday night. Fields will be playing basketball for the Bulldogs, and Charles will be playing baseball.
Adrian is a liberal arts college in Adrian, Michigan that U.S. News & World Report recognized as the No. 1 up-and-coming college in the Midwest.
"Out of all of my visits, I really liked the campus a lot," Fields said. "They're building a new team and they have a lot of returning freshmen, so I'll be a freshman and they're all sophomores.
"(Head coach Tim Kaiser) just wants to have a different culture, kind of like whenever we had a new coach at Central (C.J. Villegas) and I think it's kind of similar the way they coach, too. So that's really what sold me on going to Adrian."
In his final season with the Bobcats, Fields averaged almost a double-double (10.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game). He also chipped in 3.1 blocks and helped the Bobcats reach the playoffs again.
"As a basketball player, I feel I bring a lot to the table," Fields said. "Being tall but still being able to have a lot of guard skills, I can dribble the ball and I can pass the ball.
"I can look up the dribble and see the court well. I feel like I can shoot better than a lot tall people. I think I can bring a lot to the table versatility-wise and being able to guard all five positions."
Fields and Charles are looking forward to continuing their playing careers at the same university.
"Hopefully we're going to be able to room together," Charles said. "I put in a housing request to room together. But as of right now, it says that I'm rooming with (somebody else).
"I may have to call my councelor and get that re-arranged because I need to be with my buddy over here. That's my home boy."
Charles said the most fun he had during his Bobcats career was when he was a freshman playing varsity with a lot of upperclassmen.
He split time at shortstop and pitcher.
"I feel like I'm more dominant on the mound, but I do also swing the bat very well," Charles said. "I think I need to improve at the shortstop position a little bit more."
Like Fields, Charles feels he's just scratching the surface with how good of a player he can be.
"I'm really hoping that moving up to the next level I'll be surrounded by a lot of guys who want to go beyond the next level," Charles said. "It'll inspire me to want to do better.
"People tend to not work hard and I want to be surrounded by a lot of people who like to work hard so it makes me work hard. I think I have very high potential playing at the next level just because I have a good work ethic."
This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: Ex-Bobcats to continue playing careers at college in Michigan
