Scout.com reports that Garrett Fiddler of Doherty High School in Colorado Springs, CO, has made a verbal commitment to James Jones’s Yale program. Though listed as a Penn and Princeton target early on, Fiddler’s other options reportedly came down to Denver, Portland, and Southern Methodist. The scouting report on the 6-9 center pegs him as first and foremost a defensive specialist and rebounder, though Scout.com’s articles offer up conflicting scoring averages from his junior season, when he was named Honorable Mention All-State in Colorado.

Slant: Fiddler’s commitment gives the Bulldogs a well-rounded 2007 recruiting class, with a point guard, a wing, and now a post. With power forward Sam Kaplan set to graduate this spring, there should be additional frontcourt minutes up for grabs next season. And Fiddler’s toughness and rugged play sound like a perfect fit for a Yale team trying to get tougher.