WALLA WALLA, Wash.  Head men's basketball coach Eric Bridgeland has announced that Jack Kath from Granada High School in Livermore, California, will be joining the Blues' program in the fall of 2018.

Kath is the first of Bridgeland's upcoming recruiting class to announce his intention to attend Whitman College.

"Our program is filled with some of the most integrity-driven young men that are out there," said Bridgeland. "Jack Kath fits our culture like a glove from that standpoint. He has leadership written all over him.

"He is thoughtful, sincere, humble, and operates with a servant-attitude 100% of the time."

A two-time honor roll student at Granada, the 6-foot-8 Kath is considered one of the nation's top shooters in the Class of 2018.

"Jack is a knock-down 3-point shooter that has, and continues to, take steps to broaden his game," explains Bridgeland. "His length and toughness will be utilized from the get-go in our uptempo style of play. At the core, he is a higher-level talent that chose Whitman for an elite education while setting himself up for life beyond college."

A veteran of the Adidas Gauntlet -- one of the top AAU summer leagues in the United States -- Kath scored in double figures during seven of Team Arsenal's 12 games this past summer, draining 45 percent of 3-point attempts.

A two-time all-tournament selection, Kath has also earned Most Valuable Player honors at the West Coast Elite Showcase.

Pleased with the addition of Kath, the individual and the competitor, Bridgeland adds that "We got a steal of a person, family and player. We are very humbled the Kath's chose our college and program."

Kath will join a program that earned its first invitation to the NCAA Division III basketball tournament in 2016, playing its way into the Sweet 16 before bowing out to the eventual national champion.

In 2017 the Blues fought their way into the national semifinal, only to come up just short in a loss to that tournament's eventual national champion.

This season Whitman is 19-0 overall, 10-0 in the Northwest Conference, and the unanimous selection as the No. 1 team in the nation in D3hoops.com's latest national ranking.

Its unblemished mark in the league stretches a win streak in NWC regular-season games to 34 -- dating back to Jan. 29, 2016 -- which breaks the old conference record of 33 straight.