Westgate senior point guard Fred Joseph’s future college career got off to a good start as he signed a national letter of intent Monday with North Dakota State College of Science located in Fargo, N.D.

Joseph, who helped lead the Tigers to the District 4-5A title and an appearance in the Class 5A quarterfinals this season, is expected to start right away and play point guard for the Wildcats, who are members of the National Junior College Athletic Association.

“It’s a great opportunity for me,” said Joseph. “It’s a chance to get out of Louisiana and experience life up there.”

The Westgate guard ended up on the radar of the Wildcats thanks to the efforts of New Iberia Senior High coach Todd Russ, according to Westgate coach Oliver Winston.

“What I think was unique about it was that it was a whole city collaboration,” said Winston. “Coach Russ at New Iberia helped a lot. It’s a beautiful thing when the city works together to give kids opportunities.

According to Winston, Russ knows NDSCS coach Scott Schumacher, and both Russ and Winston had been talking to various coaches about Joseph. North Dakota State College of Science ended up being the right fit for Joseph.

The WHS coach added that as much as NISH and Westgate are rivals on the court, the ultimate goal is to help as many kids as possible.

“This is a perfect example of that,” said Winston. “Coach Russ knows that Joseph is a good kid with great skills and he wanted him to have an opportunity to go to the next level.”

Joseph, who did not take a visit to the school, said that the NDSCS coach Scott Schumacher told him he heard about the WHS senior and couldn’t wait to contact him about going play basketball up there.

“It’s a great opportunity to play college basketball,” said Joseph, who plans to study business. “They want me to play the point and start my first year. 

“I never thought that I’d be at this point and I’m excited about the chance to play.”