PATERSON, N.J. — In a recent Fall Ball game at Paterson Kennedy, Chris Silva threw down an emphatic dunk in the final seconds off a pass from Isaiah Briscoe to put Roselle Catholic ahead by 2 points, and then blocked a shot on the other end to seal their opponent’s fate.
“Crazy athletic” is how Briscoe described the 6-foot-9 Silva, a junior forward originally from the African nation of Gabon.
“He’s going to be a great player once he starts to feel comfortable in America. His game is just going to explode and he’s going to go to the next level.”
Silva picked up an offer from Creighton to go with offers from Syracuse, Cincinnati, Villanova, Rutgers and Seton Hall, according to RC head coach Dave Boff.
Maryland and Notre Dame are also interested and want to see Silva next week, Boff said.
“It feels pretty exciting because Syracuse, I went to Syracuse [for Elite Camp in August], it was a great university,” Silva told SNY.tv. “I went there with my friend Tyler [Roberson] who goes there.
“I played with a couple players from Roselle Catholic and it was good. Had a great time. The coach was good.”
Silva has also tripped to Villanova for an open gym.
“I’ve been training Chris for one year now,” Sacks said. “The more knowledge of the game he gets, the better he’s going to get.
“I’ve seen a lot of underclassmen and he might be the most athletic player in the country at 6-9. He has a chance to be a big-time Division 1 player and a shot to be in the pros.”
Cincinnati has also offered 2015 6-7 RC forward Pierre Sarr, whom Sacks called “a very nice player.”
“Strength and conditioning is making a big difference,” he said.
