NEW YORK –– After transferring to Hudson Catholic from Pope John XXIII last February, 6-foot-8 forward Louis King did not play the rest of the season for coach Nick Mariniello’s team as he sat out and adjusted to his new school.
But playing with his Sports U teammates this summer on the Under Armour circuit, King has seen his stock rise significantly.
He picked up a scholarship offer from Indiana last month to go along with earlier offers from Syracuse, UConn, Seton Hall and Rutgers, among others.
“I know I had to prove myself this summer so I did [well],” he said Wednesday at the Entertainers Basketball Classic at Rucker Park. “I picked up Indiana, Rutgers, UConn.”
Asked who was working the hardest for him, King said, “Seton Hall and Indiana.”
Seton Hall was the first to offer the “Fab Five” of Sports U teammates in King, Naz Reid, Jahvon Quinerly, Luther Muhammad and Atiba Taylor.
“Seton Hall, it’s close by,” said King, who has also played at Roselle Catholic. “I know the coach [Kevin Willard] very well. They said I’m their main focus in the 2018 class and I’m glad to hear that.”
Asked if the “Fab Five” deal is realistic, he said, “We talk about it often, we’re always together…I don’t know yet, but we still gotta talk about it.”
Indiana is also coming on strong.
“They just said they’re in love with my game and hopefully I make a commitment there,” King said.
He and his Sports U teammates haven’t set up any visits yet. King and Reid will both play Saturday in the Big Strick Classic at Gauchos Gym that also includes national-level talents like Hamidou Diallo, Gary Trent Jr. and Makai Ashton-Langford.
Looking ahead to the high school season, King can’t wait to get on the court with his Hudson Catholic teammates Quinerly and Muhammad.
“It could be very great,” he said.
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