Moses Lake Christian star Bassett signs with Indiana Wesleyan

MOSES LAKE - Jesse Bassett isn't exactly staying close to home to continue his soccer career.

The Moses Lake Christian Academy senior, a five-year varsity starter and two-year team captain, is trading in the Lions' blue and gold for the red and black of Indiana Wesleyan University's Wildcats.

This fall, Bassett will pack up and go nearly 2,100 miles to the east to Marion, Ind., roughly 85 miles north of Indianapolis. Indiana Wesleyan is an NAIA Division I school of roughly 3,000 students, which transitions perfectly from Bassett's background in Washington's tiny 1B classification.

So what attracted Bassett to the Wildcats' program? The level of success they've sustained is huge plus.

"I went out there for a visit, kind of on a recruiting trip, and ended up making the team," he said. "Those are the doors that just opened up.

"Definitely the coach there is an incredible guy," Bassett added. "He's easy to get along with and definitely knows his stuff. The guys on the team, too, are just really welcoming and yet they're a really good team too."

Under the direction of head coach Mark Castro, Indiana Wesleyan has qualified for three straight National Christian College Athletic Association tournaments. Last season, the Wildcats were ranked as high as sixth in the nation, then finished fourth at the NCCAA tournament.

Bassett has started every game of his high school career - eighth-graders are allowed to compete for 1B high schools - but makes some modest projections about his first year at IWU.

I don't see myself starting right away just because there's that higher level of competition," he said. "It'll be an adjustment, definitely. It's a lot different speed to the game and more physical play."

Bassett is one of Castro's four-player recruiting class in 2008, joining Ross Tanzer of Orland Park, Ill., Josh McKinley of Wheaton, Ill., and David Enger from Colorado Springs, Colo.

Bassett's work ethic and high ceiling for improvement are things that attracted Castro to recruit him.

"Jesse is a confident and attack-minded striker who enjoys taking on defenders," Castro said on the team's website. "His physical strength allows him to hold onto the ball in pressure-filled situations without getting bumped off. He is proficient with both feet and can read the game before a play occurs."

Bassett's proficiency for winning helped too. The Lions won the North Central League championship in four of Bassett's five years, and he captained them to a third-place finish at state during his junior year.

"The Christian academy has been a really good place for my soccer development, just because it's been such a good program for the past five years," Bassett said. "There's just a lot of talent that's been coming out of there, and also the coaching has been great."

Bassett's winning attitude carried over into his other sport - basketball. The Lions have gone to three straight state tourneys, and they beat rival Entiat last month for a third-place trophy.

"That was really cool," he said. "We went in and nobody was really expecting us to do anything at state.

"Our season goal was to get to state because we knew, as soon as we got there, it was anyone's game. Last year we go in, and we were like the second-ranked team in the state, and we lost first round."

Bassett credits Moses Lake Christian coaches Jason Ostrander and Scott McCornack for his success, along with all his teammates and parents Mark and Carrie.

"All the guys there, they've just been great. I don't know if any one person stands out," he said. "The whole group, the whole team there has just had this mindset of pushing each other harder and harder every year."