Providence may be on its way back to being a player in the college basketball world.
7-foot-1 center Paschal Chukwu committed to the Friars on Thursday, according to multiple reports. Chukwu is entering his senior season at Fairfield College Prep School in Conn. and is a four-star, top-100 recruit on Rivals, Scout, and 24/7 Sports’ lists.
Chukwu chose Providence over several other East Coast schools like UConn, St. Joe’s, St. John’s and Pitt. He wasn’t a huge recruit prospect last year, but he became one after playing well during the high school season and in traveling events.
Providence also received a commitment from small forward Jalen Lindsey last month, so their 2014 recruiting class is shaping up nicely. Lindsey had offers from many of the other top schools in the country, such as Louisville, Florida and Ohio State.
The commitments are a statement about what coach Ed Cooley is doing in recruiting.
Cooley is entering his third season at Providence after five at Fairfield. The Friars went 15-17 in his first season and improved to 19-15 last season. There is a possibility that he makes the 2014 recruiting class more spectacular.
As College Basketball Talk points out, Expressions Elite (Mass.) teammates Abdul-Malik Abu and Jared Terrell could also end up at Providence. Both players cut their recruiting lists to four schools, and Providence was the only school they had in common. They plan to announce their decisions on Sept. 7.
Below is a look at Chukwu in action:
Image via YouTube/Eddie Dowling
