Santa Clara strikes in 2009
Santa Clara continues to roll on the recruiting front. The West Coast Conference program landed Niyi Harrison, a 6-foot-7, 215-pound power forward from Bellarmine High School in San Jose.
Harrison, according to Bay Area Hoosiers AAU head coach Philippe Doherty, pledged to the Broncos over the weekend. Keating and his staff landed an under recruited player, Doherty says.
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"If he had played with us the whole spring and summer, (he was finishing playing with his local youth AAU program part of the time) he would have gotten a lot more exposure
and next spring and summer for sure would have blown up," Doherty said.
Patrick Schneider, the head coach at Bellarmine High School, says Santa Clara has a major athlete coming its way.
"That's the first thing you notice about him," Schneider said. "He's an incredible athlete. He's what you want for a scorer inside, a rebounder, someone who can run and jump and pursue the rebounds and finish big. He's really long for a 6-7 kid and really agile."
The mixture of athletics, academics and the proximity to his family played a big role, Schneider said.
"Academically, it is a great fit. And his family is able to see him because it is so close. Plus, coach Keating has so many more options at his disposal. Basketball was just one of the reasons (he committed to Santa Clara)."
Harrison is the first player to commit to Santa Clara in the class of 2009. He also had interest from UC-Santa Barbara, San Jose State, Cal State Fullerton, Northwestern and others.