By JACOB POLACHECK
Despite AAU season being put on hold, 2022 center Tichyque Musaka is receiving national attention as a top big man in his class.
Musaka, the 6-foot-11, 190-pound center from Valley Christian Schools (CA), originally hails from the Congo.
“I started playing basketball at 11 years old in the Congo,” Musaka said. “Basketball was my second sport. I first started playing soccer, but I changed to basketball because my family was into basketball.”
Musaka came to the United States in 2017 at the age of 13. Before transferring to Valley Christian, Musaka went to Saint Louis (MO) Christian Academy.
In the last few weeks, Musaka’s recruitment has begun to heat up, with offers from Kansas and Marquette.
Kansas extended an offer to Musaka on April 18.
“The coach at Kansas came to see me at my high school earlier this year,” Musaka said. “He needs a big man like me. They need someone that can finish, rebound and block shots.”
Marquette was the latest to offer Musaka on April 22.
“Marquette is a nice university and I’ve watched a couple of their games,” he said. “They’ve got a couple of really good players. I talked to the coach on Zoom. He told me that my experience in basketball is good and that I can be a finisher and block shots. He told me I can run the floor. I’m a really good defender.”
Musaka also holds offers from schools such as Oregon, USC, Georgetown, TCU and DePaul, among others.
Musaka originally was planning on playing AAU ball with West Coast Elite over the summer, but with the coronavirus pandemic, he is left training from home.
“I lift weights at my house and go to the park with my coaches Mark Deluca and Josh Calbert,” Musaka said. “They gives me some training. I put up shots in the morning.”
Off the court, Musaka spends most of his time on schoolwork.
“Outside of basketball, I’m doing my homework for class,” he said. “I play a couple games. I’m really really busy with schoolwork, doing homework every day. I need my grades to be up so that I can play next year.”
Photo: West Coast Elite
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