GUILDERLAND — After all the letters and phone calls he received, Brett Marfurt was finally able to come up with a college choice.

The senior on the Guilderland boys’ basketball team had been a sought after recruit, but that ended when he gave a verbal commitment in October and then signed his letter of intent to attend Colgate University in Hamilton.

Marfurt earned a full scholarship to play Division I basketball for the Red Raiders.
"It was a perfect fit academically and athletically," Marfurt said. "It’s a team on the rise. The Patriot League has gotten better and Colgate is one of the top academic schools in the country. I fit in well with the coaches and the players. It was the most comfortable of all the schools I went to."

Getting the scholarship fulfilled Marfurt’s goal of playing Division I basketball.
"It’s been my dream since I started playing basketball," he said. "My goal was to play Division I basketball all through my scholastic career."

Marfurt had a lot of mid-level Division I schools to choose from. He said he made unofficial visits to 12 different schools.
"I hung out with the guys on the team and talked to the coaches," Marfurt said.
He narrowed his choices down to four schools — Bucknell, Lehigh, and Yale. Marfurt also had an offer from the College of William and Mary in Virginia, but he said, "I wanted to go away to school, but not too far away."

And with Colgate just a couple of hours away, when he has time, he can make the trip home pretty easily.

Marfurt said he plans to major in either economics or political science but any educational opportunity is appreciated.
"I am getting one of the best educations for free," he said. "You can’t beat that."

Marfurt also can’t wait to be part of the basketball tradition at Colgate.
"They have the only Patriot League player that’s playing in the NBA — Adonal Foyle," Marfurt said. "And they’ve gone to the NCAAs a couple of times in the 1990s. They are 4-0 this year. The program is getting better, and when I get there I can help the team get back to the NCAAs. That’s the goal."

Marfurt is happy to be done with the recruiting process so he can focus on his senior year at Guilderland.
"The recruiting process is crazy," Marfurt said. "You don’t always know who to believe. Colgate was the most honest; that’s another reason why I chose them.
"But I’m glad it’s over," Marfurt concluded. "Now I can focus on trying to win a sectional championship this year."