Ed Cooley is now half way to the “Friar Four.”
The Providence coach on Thursday landed a verbal pledge from Paschal Chukwu, the 7-foot-1 center from Fairfield (CT) Prep, who chose the Friars over St. Joe’s, where his sister attends.
SNY.tv reported Wednesday that Chukwu was down to Providence and St. Joe’s.
“I’ve known coach Cooley for three years,” Chukwu told the Providence Journal, referring to Cooley’s time as coach at Fairfield. “I’ve gotten to know them really well. Providence is a program on the rise and I’m looking forward to playing for coach Cooley.”
Coupled with 6-7 Huntington (W.V.) Prep wing Jalen Lindsey, Providence now has two impact recruits in the Class of 2014. Cooley and his staff are still involved with power forward Abdul Malik Abu and shooting guard Jared Terrell, who will announce Sept. 7.
Together, the group has been dubbed by some the “Friar Four.”
“We want to recruit the best players in the country,” Cooley told SNY.tv last month.
“Everybody always says a lot of negative things about the brand of Providence. Whether that’s in the past or whatever, I don’t look at that. I want the best players in the country to to play in the best league in the country.”
UConn, Boston College, Georgetown, N.C. State and Maryland were also involved for Chukwu, a raw offensive presence who calls to mind a young Hasheem Thabeet or Dikembe Mutombo.
He averaged 13.7 points, 12.1 rebounds and 6.8 blocks per game last season at Fairfield Prep.
“He’s one of the best instinctive shot-blockers that you will find,” one veteran college coach told the Connecticut Post this month of Chukwu. “He’s going to be a high major-level kid for sure because of the impact he will have on the defensive end. He’s really, really good defensively.”
Longtime New York recruiting expert Tom Konchalski added of Chukwu: “That’s a major, major accomplishment for [Providence]. He’s a guy who can really influence a game defensively. His defense and rebounding is so far ahead of his offense, although is offense has improved.
“He really changes a game defensively. He’s gotten better in the last year and a half and he’s only going to get better.
“That’s a major get for them.”
