Canadian big man Kalif Young will choose between Big East schools Marquette and Providence next week, his father told SNY.tv on Friday.
“Kalif will be on an official to Providence [Saturday] and will be making his decision between Providence and Marquette next week,” Tony Young said.
A 6-foot-9, 250-pound left-handed Class of 2016 power forward from Ontario’s Orangeville Prep, Young took an official visit to Marquette on May 4 with his mother.
As for his skillset, Orangeville Prep coach Larry Blunt previously told SNY.tv: “Kalif is a very skilled lefty with college strength already. He has incredible feel for the game and can shoot the ball consistently from 17 feet in, and the pick-and-pop 3. You can throw the ball to Kalif on the block and not only can he score, but he is an exceptional passer. He can hedge on ball screens and even switch out on guards in late-shot clock situations. He’s a great kid with a great family.
“Kalif will be a household name before the year is out.”
Added Tony: “He’s quick on his feet for his size. He’s a killer on the boards. He can post. He can handle the ball for a big man. Everyone tells me he has a great IQ on the court and he has great passing ability. One person says he passes the basketball like a football.”
TAUREAN THOMPSON STILL IN LIMBO
Taurean Thompson is focusing on Syracuse, Seton Hall and Michigan State, but has yet to decide.
Despite adding UNLV transfer Ben Carter, Michigan State still wants the uncommited 6-foot-10 power forward to visit, Brewster (N.H.) Academy coach Jason Smith recently told SNY.tv, but no visit has been set. The Spartans offered Thompson, who recently took a visit to Syracuse. The Orange remain the frontrunner, sources said.
Asked at the Jordan Brand Classic if he’s excited to getting it over with, Thompson said, “Yeah, I’m really looking forward to it….When it feels right and I get all the pros and cons in.”
ERON GORDON TO ANNOUNCE MONDAY
Eron Gordon, a 6-foot-2 shooting guard from Indianapolis (IN) North Central, will make his college announcement on Monday at 7:30 CT at Westlane Middle School.
He is down to Seton Hall, Maryland, Missouri and Texas Tech, with sources indicating Seton Hall is in good position. He took an official to the school in October.
“It went really good, I liked the visit,” he told SNY.tv then. “Obviously it’s a three-guard system, they definitely think I can be in many different spots. I’m a versatile player so that shouldn’t be a big concern for me.”
Seton Hall will lose guard Derrick Gordon to graduation and could lose sophomore Isaiah Whitehead to the NBA Draft and is thus in the market for guards.
Gordon averaged 19.0 points as a senior and was named to the IndyStar Indiana All-Star team.
D.J. HARVEY CUTS LIST TO NINE
D.J. Harvey told ESPN’s Paul Biancardi he has cut his list to nine schools: Duke, Louisville, Maryland, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas, UCLA, UConn and Villanova.
The 6-foot-6 wing from DeMatha (Md.) Catholic spoke highly of Duke at the HoopHall Class in January.
“The campus was beautiful and the facilities are the best I’ve seen, and the players welcomed me with open arms,” Harvey said.
BEATTY ADDING OFFERS
David Beatty, a 6-4 scoring guard from St. Benedict’s Prep, has been piling up the offers in recent weeks.
Beatty has added offers from Virginia, Maryland, USC, Indiana, Xavier, Pitt, Florida, Florida State, Temple and Virginia Tech in the last month.
Beatty will bang out a new Player Blog for ZAGSBLOG.com soon.
NEVADA HOSTING TRANSFERS
Nevada has a big weekend of transfers visiting.
Eric Musselman and staff are hosting N.C. State transfers Cody and Caleb Martin, who have also visited ECU and Rutgers.
Nevada will also host Purdue transfer Kendall Stephens, and Iowa State transfer Hallice Cooke in the coming days.
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