BY: CHIP MILLER
Homestead (IN) center Caleb Swanigan made a big splash on Thursday when the five-star 2015 center trimmed his list to seven schools.
Swanigan’s final seven consists of some of the biggest names in college basketball and one that may surprise some. His final seven are Kentucky, Purdue, Arizona, California, Michigan State, Duke and Chicago State, according to Eric Vaughn. Indiana, the home state school, failed to make Swanigan’s cut.
On Tuesday, Swanigan broke down his final seven for Justin Kenny of The News-Sentinel.
– Duke. “(Freshman center Jahlil Okafor) will be gone, and they are looking for someone who can come in and help fill that void, and that’s a huge honor. Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski) is also one of the greatest (coaches) ever.”
– Cal.“I love Cal. I love (coach Cuonzo Martin) since he’s been at Tennessee. He recruited me really early. I think they have a good program that’s on the brink of success.”
– Chicago State. “I have known the coach (Tracy Dildy) for a while, and he’s known my dad for a while. It’s a really nice place they got done there in the middle of Chicago.”
– Purdue. “Purdue is tough. They got some 7-footers and they are really hungry to get better in the Big Ten.”
– Kentucky. “You don’t know who is going to leave and when they are going to leave, but Kentucky is obviously the best organization in college basketball right now, so that’s something you definitely have to look at.”
– Arizona. “Arizona is kind of the Kentucky of the West. They get after it, and they got a lot of guys leaving this year and they need help next year.”
– Michigan State. “(Tom Izzo) is a good coach. He is a Hall of Fame-type coach, and they have a good program there right now.”
The McDonald’s All-American, Nike Hoops Summit and Jordan Brand Classic selectee has unofficially visited Kentucky, Louisville and most recently Michigan State. Officially he has been on campus at Duke and California.
Swanigan’s guardian recently told SNY.tv his official to California was a “good” visit.
Many believe Swanigan — who reclassified from 2016 to the 2015 class last summer — will end up at Michigan State. He’s been a top target for Tom Izzo and so far it appears his worked has paid off as Swanigan has unofficially been on campus five separate times.
Swanigan still has three official visits, if he chooses to use them. As of this writing, no additional officials have been scheduled.
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