Providence Recruiting Update: Sedee Keita and New Offers, Interest

Providence held their Late Night Madness event over the weekend and there was an impressive turnout of recruits in attendance. Among them were a pair of 2016 big men in Sedee Keita and Isaiah Whaley. Keita is a known target that the Friar coaching staff has been chasing hard for awhile now. Whaley is a name many Friar fans may not have heard. Jeff Battle began expressing interest in Whaley back in June but the Friars didn’t offer until this weekend. The Friars offered another big man on Monday in Serbian Nik Popovic and they are reported to have interest in Sudanese big man Gorjok Gak. More on all and more below.

Keita Takes Official, No Commitment Yet

Keita took his official visit to Providence over the weekend and the 6’10 Delaware native attended the Late Night Madness event on Saturday night. Despite the coaching staff putting the full court press on Keita before he left campus the big man didn’t give his commitment. He may still visit Penn State or LSU and there is no official timetable for a decision. Keita’s recruitment continues to be a key one for Providence in the class of 2016. The Friars appear interested in landing 2 frontcourt players in 2016 attested by some of the names in the next section and the pursuit of Kevin Marfo.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxln-UOVYY0]

New Names in 2016, 2017 and 2018

First up let’s start with some new names in 2016 for the frontcourt: Gorjok Gak, Nik PopovicIsaiah Whaley and Taurean Thompson.

Gak got a visit from a Providence coach back on October 7th at Victory Rock Prep in Florida but he hasn’t received an offer to date. He had a good summer with the Florida Sons on the adidas Gauntlet circuit and finished strong at the adidas Summer Championship in Las Vegas. There he averaged 14.6 points/game, 8.8 rebounds/game, 1.2 blocks/game and shot 72% from the field in 5 games. Gak is from Sudan and came to the US last year via Australia.

Popovic is from Serbia and is making his US high school debut this year at Sagemont School in Florida. You can read a good description of his international experience with the U18 Serbia National Team here. Popovic did get a Providence offer on Monday to go along with recent offers from Boston College, Georgia, Rice, Richmond, UCF and Valparaiso.

Whaley is a player Providence began recruiting back in June when Jeff Battle started to follow him. He played for Team Loaded on the grassroots circuit and attended Providence’s Late Night Madness event on Saturday. Whaley left campus with a Providence offer before he went back to North Carolina. Whaley began the school year at Ashbrook High School but has since transferred to Evelyn Mack Academy following an arrest for larceny. He is set to appear before a judge on November 23rd and I don’t expect this first offense misdemeanor to be a problem for Whaley.

News of Thompson’s offer just came down on Wednesday afternoon and it was first reported by Adam Finkelstein on Twitter. Thompson is the highest rated recruit Providence is currently recruiting in 2016, according to 247sports’s composite national ranking. Thompson, a former player at Bob Hurley’s St. Anthony’s HS in Jersey City, is ranked 76th nationally, while Keita is 105th. ESPN’s scouting report calls Thompson “a developing big man who possesses physical tools and budding skill alike.” Thompson currently has offers from Arizona State, Old Dominion, Rhode Island, Rice, Rutgers, St. Joseph’s, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Temple and Xavier.

JP Moorman is the new name in the class of 2017. Moorman is a North Carolina native who is being tracked by Jeff Battle. He ran with Team CP3 on the grassroots circuit and attends Greensboro Day School. PhenomHoopReport.com ranks Moorman as the 7th-best player in North Carolina in the class of 2017. Moorman’s Greensboro Day School coach Freddy Johnson was quoted in a story at PhenomHoopReport.com as saying “Moorman has the potential to be an impact player for GDS. People will be surprised by who offers him. He can play 1-4. In addition, he has worked hard to redefine his body.” While he hasn’t received an offer from the Friars as of this writing he is a name to keep an eye on in 2017.

Finally, the Friars extended an offer to 2018 AJ Reeves over the weekend. Reeves, widely considered one of the top players in New England and was ranked #1 in the class of 2018 by NewEnglandRecruitingReport.com back in January. Reeves also holds offers from Boston College, Fairfield and Temple. He attended Providence’s Elite Camp in August and showed flashes of his ability even when going up against players a year or two older.

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2 responses to “Providence Recruiting Update: Sedee Keita and New Offers, Interest”

  1. […] ICYMI – Providence Recruiting Update: Sedee Keita and New Offers, Interest […]

  2. […] I last posted a recruiting update 7 days ago it was on the heels of Providence hosting their annual Late Night Madness festivities. The Friars […]

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