Everette Pedescleaux to Play Two Sports at UNI

Everette Pedescleaux, a talented two-sport athlete from Plymouth (MN) Robbinsdale Armstrong, was expected to make a big impression on the Gopher defensive line this season. However, after a shoplifting charge, he decided to leave the program and transfer to Northern Iowa.

Everette Pedescleaux signed a football scholarship with Minnesota with the intention to play basketball after having previously committing to Northern Iowa to play basketball.

Unfortunately, he suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during a high school All-Star game. Due to the injury, Pedescleaux did not enroll full-time until January. He played defensive tackle for the Gophers during their spring game after originally being thought to play defensive end. He weighed 265 pounds and the Gopher coaches had wanted him to get up to 290 to better battle the big offensive linemen in the conference. However, reports are that Pedescleaux was concerned about gaining that much weight and the impact that it would have on his trying to play basketball for the Gophers.

Pedescleaux will be eligible immediately for the Northern Iowa football team, since they are Division I-AA. However, since the Panthers are Division I in basketball, he will have to sit out the hoops season.

Pedescleaux originally committed to Northern Iowa for basketball, picking the Panthers over Tulsa. However, Pedescleaux did not sign a letter of intent in the early signing period. This was due to him questioning whether or not to play both basketball and football in college. Pedescleaux helped lead the Falcons to the Class 5A semifinals, where they lost to eventual state champs Lakeville 38-28.

Pedescleaux considered Creighton, Dayton, Illinois State, Montana State, New Mexico, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, Toledo, Tulsa and Wisconsin-Green Bay for basketball. He visited Wisconsin-Green Bay, Tulsa, Southern Illinois and Dayton before committing to Northern Iowa, which signed AAU teammate Eric Coleman.

Pedescleaux shined as a member of the Howard Pulley Panthers AAU team during the summer of 2003. He scored 18 points to help the Panthers' 17-and-under basketball team defeat the Illinois Warriors 70-66 in the Price Chopper Kansas City Prep Invitational championship. The Panthers finished 6-0 in the event.

Pedescleaux finished with 65 carries for 324 yards and nine touchdowns as a high school senior for the Falcons. He grabbed six passes for 58 yards and two scores. Pedescleaux was named first-team Star Tribune All-Metro and AP All-State team as a defensive end.

Pedescleaux said that he started to think about playing college football more after a strong senior season as he led the Falcons to a 11-2 season and took a visit to the Gopher-Wisconsin game.

Pedescleaux played fullback, tight end and defensive end, but the Gophers originally looked at him more as a tight end or passing rushing defensive end.

Pedescleaux led Armstrong to a 22-7 mark in basketball as a senior, losing to St. Paul Johnson 75-56 in the quarterfinals of the Minnesota boy's state high school basketball tournament at the Target Center. He was the lone double-figure scorer for Armstrong as he finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds and six blocked shots. He made 9 of 15 shots from the field and 9 of 11 from the line.