Canadian big man Kalif Young will likely choose between Big East schools Marquette and Providence within the next couple of weeks, his father told SNY.tv on Wednesday.
A 6-foot-9, 250-pound left-handed Class of 2016 power forward from Ontario’s Orangeville Prep, Young began an official visit to Marquette on Wednesday with his mother. He is tentatively set to visit Providence the weekend of May 14, and will then likely decide soon after that.
“Essentially right now, he’s pretty well down to two schools,” Tony Young said by phone from Toronto. “So it’s between Marquette and Providence.”
Tony said many other BCS schools have called to express interest but it’s unlikely Kalif will consider them seriously.
“There’s a lot of big schools that have been after him,” he said. “We’re getting calls from Oklahoma, Purdue, Vanderbilt, all these other schools….He’s like, ‘Nope, nope, nope.’ He’s kind of stuck with [what he has].”
Meantime, he began his first official visit to Marquette on Wednesday.
“He’s heading to Marquette with my wife this morning,” Tony said.
Tony said he’s been impressed by Marquette’s “level of interest” so far.
“Coach Wojo [Steve “Wojciechowski] has come to Toronto to see him about three times,” the elder Young said. “He came to our house to visit. It’s just the fact of how he will fit into their program, I think that entices him. Now it’s just a matter of getting a real feel on the school and that whole vibe in terms of if that’s the fit for him.”
The Providence visit will likely happen May 14-15.
“They obviously need big men,” Tony said. “Kalif went there for an unofficial visit. I think he felt very comfortable with the connection with [head coach Ed] Cooley and Jeff Battle. I think he likes the fact what they’ve done in terms of their development with [Kris] Dunn and [Ben] Bentil, I think that impressed him.”
After the Providence visit, Young will likely decide.
“Unless something else comes up that he feels he wants to go out and visit, that will be a last minute visit,” Tony said. “These are his only two visits. He obviously has five. He still has three other ones if he wants to take them.
“But the idea would be after Providence, he comes home and we regroup, see what he’s feeling and then he’d put it out there.”
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.”
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