Early-signing period: Peninsula High basketball standout JaQuori McLaughlin to sign with Oregon State

Make it official.

Peninsula High School held a signing ceremony Tuesday morning for JaQuori McLaughlin, one of the top basketball recruits in the nation, before he signs his letter of intent to play at Oregon State University next year.

This was the same college McLaughlin initially made an oral commitment to as a sophomore, then decommitted, committed to Washington, decommitted from UW before recommitting to Oregon State in September.

He’ll put the official period on that last sentence when he signs Wednesday.

“I feel like this is the place for me. I’m 100 percent confident that’s the place for me,” said McLaughlin, last year’s 3A SPSL most valuable player. “So I just wanted to get it done with. That’s where I’m going.”

Wednesday marks the first day of the early-signing period, which runs through Nov. 18. But Peninsula doesn’t have school then, so it held the ceremony for him Tuesday.

He sat at a table — killing any hope of signing-day dramatics when he and his family all showed up in Oregon State apparel — in Peninsula’s gymnasium. He averaged 23 points, five rebounds and five assists a game last season and is the No. 90 recruit in the nation as ranked by 247sports.com.

McLaughlin said he knew ever since he stepped foot in Peninsula’s halls that he’d eventually go on to play college basketball.

“That’s just how confident I am,” McLaughlin said. “I just wanted to work hard to get to where I wanted to go.

“But I never knew which school that was going to be. So it’s a blessing right now to have this opportunity and to be signing.”

This story was originally published November 10, 2015 at 8:24 AM with the headline "Early-signing period: Peninsula High basketball standout JaQuori McLaughlin to sign with Oregon State."