N
Cândido Sá, a 6-foot-9, 210-pound forward from San Jacinto College, has committed to Rutgers. He will be eligible immediately and has two years to play.
A 23-year-old native of Lisbon, Portugal, Sá averaged 9.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game while shooting 46 percent from the field for San Jacinto, a community college based in Houston, TX.
Greg “Shoes” Vetrone was the lead recruiter for Sá this past year while he was an assistant coach, and head coach Steve Pikiell has visited Sa at San Jacinto.
“I chose Rutgers because I have people there that I consider family, Shoes and Shaq [Doorson],” Sá told SNY.tv. “I went to visit two weeks ago and I loved it. I’m really close with Shaq so I have been watching a lot of Rutgers games these past two seasons which helped a lot on the decision. I think I have a chance to contribute right away. I bring versatility and shot blocking ability. I can play and guard multiple positions.”
Sá was scheduled to visit Texas this weekend, but after the trip was pushed back, he decided to commit to Rutgers. Pittsburgh and Western Kentucky were also interested.
“He has a big upside because he’s long with good athleticism and can step out to the three-point line,” San Jacinto head coach Scott Gerander said about Sá. “He also has great hands and didn’t miss a game or practice in two years. He can get better in a couple areas but he loves to be in the gym so he’ll be ready to work.”
With the addition of Sá and Roselle Catholic wing Matt Bullock, Rutgers now has nine scholarship players, thus Sa will add frontcourt depth. They remain in hte mix for 6-9 forward Issa Thiam, who initially committed to former Rutgers coach Eddie Jordan. He is expected to decide soon.
“Everything’s in play, transfers, fifth-year guys,” Rutgers assistant Jay Young said Thursday. “But they just have to be the right people, the right situation. We want to make sure that we don’t just try and do something quickly for the short term. This is a long-term thing and we’re always keeping that in mind when we’re making those [roster] decisions.”
