By JACOB POLACHECK
Enoch Boakye, the 6-foot-10 center from George Harris Prep (ON), picked up an offer from Wake Forest on Wednesday.
“My coach was keeping in contact with them and so they reached out,” Boakye said. “They gave me a call and then offered me.”
Boakye says that his first contact with Wake Forest came from former head coach Danny Manning, but hadn’t heard from them recently.
“I’ve spoken to the new staff,” he said. “The coach I spoke to was coach BJ McKie.”
The Canadian big man also holds offers from Michigan State, UCLA, Arizona, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Western Kentucky, Denver, Houston and BYU. He has also received interest from Duke, Kentucky, Gonzaga and South Carolina.
In addition to Wake Forest, Boakye says he has heard from Gonzaga, South Carolina and Michigan State since Monday. He broke down each school:
Gonzaga: “Obviously Gonzaga is known for developing big men. They just had Filip Petrusev enter the NBA Draft. They’re just telling me how they develop lots of big men and I would really fit into their play style.”
South Carolina: “Recently, they’ve been telling me that they really want me to come in and how I would be a great player. They’re saying that I could come in and be a star and lead the team.”
Michigan State: “They have been showing me love and I appreciate it. They love how much of a presence I am as a big man and I would help them a lot.”
Boakye has already taken multiple unofficial visits to Michigan State and says that he is impressed by their NBA pedigree.
“What stood out most was how many players they’ve sent to the NBA like Draymond Green,” he said. “They’re very united together. It’s a family, a big family. Especially their fans. Their fans are amazing, going to the student section. I can imagine myself or anybody else playing on that court as a wonderful experience.”
UCLA and Arizona have reached out to Boakye’s coach.
“They told my coach that they really think I could be the next Deandre Ayton,” he said of Arizona. “I don’t really know too much about Arizona, but just from my taking the time to watch games from when Deandre Ayton was there from 2017-18, I’ve seen that they throw the ball into their bigs a lot.”
“Obviously, Ayton went No. 1 [in the NBA Draft] so it’s a good thing what they’re doing with their bigs,” he said.”
Boakye took an unofficial visit to Houston last September.
“I really like that they’re a Jordan Brand School,” he said. “They have a lot to do with player development, always having guys to help out whether that be catching rebounds or giving advice about how to improve your game.”
Boakye also visited Kentucky for an unofficial visit on Feb. 15 as the Wildcats defeated Ole Miss 67-62.
Boakye is ranked as the No. 3 center and No. 21 overall player in the Class of 2022, per 247Sports.com.
At 6-foot-10, 240-pounds, Boakye describes himself as an ‘old school’ center.
“I like contact,” he said. “I would say a mixture of Joel Embiid and Shaquille O’Neal. That’s the type of player I would say I am. Old school, I like the contact. I don’t shy away from it.”
Off the court, Boakye says he tries to keep a small circle of friends.
“I try to keep it as small as possible,” he said. “I like to spend time with my family. I won’t lie, I am a game-head. I play lots of video games in my free time. I just like spending time with my brother and my coach a lot. Most of the time, I’m on the court.”
Boakye is originally from Ontario, CA, but says many people don’t know that he is of African descent.
“My background is African,” Boakye said. “My parents are from Ghana.”
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