By RENALDO DORSETT
Tribune Sports Reporter
rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
IT took just several months for Fredrick King Jr to go from relative unknown to elite Division I prospect for the class of 2022.
King, a product of the NBA Academy Latin America, committed to ACC powerhouse - the Louisville Cardinals - and will join the programme in the upcoming fall campaign.
The 6’10” forward chose head coach Chris Mack’s programme ahead of the Washington State Trojans, Creighton Bluejays, Georgetown Hoyas and Miami Hurricanes.
ESPN listed King as one of the class of 2022’s top prospects emerging from the NBA Academy Invitational in September.
King averaged 23 points and 12 rebounds per game on 77 percent shooting from the field at the event hosted by his NBA Academy Latin America programme in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. He opened with 31 points and 16 rebounds to lead NBA Latin America to an 82-61 win over NBA Africa Red and followed with 29 points and 13 rebounds in a 93-87 victory over The Skills Factory.
ESPNs Jonathan Givony said King’s stock was the fastest riser of any prospect at the camp.
“King exploded onto the radar of NBA scouts and college coaches… it was impressive to see King’s poise and maturity,” Givony said. “He anchored his team’s defence, created offence from the mid and low post, and found teammates with intelligent passes all weekend long.
“With a remarkably high intensity level, King played to near exhaustion, almost never leaving the floor and constantly battling on both ends of the floor.”
At just 17, King is deemed “young for his class” but opted to remain in the class of 2022 rather than play a year at a prep school before entering the collegiate ranks.
King joins four-star wing D’Ante Davis in the Cardinals’ upcoming class.
According to Givony, Louisville is awaiting word from the NCAA on potential punishments stemming from allegations made in the FBI’s investigation into the sport of college basketball.
King made Bahamian basketball history last January when he became the country’s first student athlete to enrol in one of the NBA’s global academies.
Comments
ThisIsOurs 3 years, 1 month ago
6 TEN???
ThisIsOurs 3 years, 1 month ago
Our guys appear to have less mass than other teams. Im not sure if thats "really" true, but its the story I see from the pictures. We dont have basketball players who look like Buddy. Its like we're perpetually undernourished or maybd we're sitting under the juju tree too long. I noticed it with the Elite baseball team as well, our young men had that reed thing physical structure typical of youth whereas the 3 boys who played with them from the other team were more built and muscular. I seriously wonder if its our bad habits, our lack of a physical regimen or if its the quality of the food we import
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