Uyaelunmo sees interest rising
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After establishing himself as one of the top 100 players in the class of 2017 this past summer, Victor Uyaelunmo is starting to see his recruitment heat up. The 7-foot, 215-pounder from Gulliver Prep (Fla.) recently picked up a new offer from the SEC and took an unofficial visit to Stanford and was impressed with what he saw.
"It went well," Uyaelunmo said. "What I like most was the campus, they have a really nice campus and even better people around. Great school, great people."
Stanford assistant coach Charles Payne is leading Stanford's recruitment of the No. 90 ranked prospect in the Rivals150 for the 2017 class. Uyaelunmo was accompanied on the trip to Stanford by his father and his brother Solomon, a three-star small forward in the class of 2018. Are the Uyaelunmo brothers thinking of attending the same school for college?
"No, not really. We will go wherever best fits us as individual players," said Uyaelunmo.
There was a time when it appeared Uyaelunmo's recruitment would largely be a regional one, particularly when a shoulder injury sidelined him for his sophomore season after just a handful of games.
Those days are long gone. Declaring his shoulder is "good" and listing offers from Florida International, Florida State, Memphis, Miami, Tennessee and Wake Forest and interest from Florida, Harvard, LSU, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Virginia and Wichita State; Uyaelunmo is hearing from schools near and far.
The three high-major programs in his home state have either offered or are showing interest in the four-star center. Miami invited Uyaelunmo to its elite camp during the summer.
"I like their coaching staff," he said. "Coach (Jim) Larranaga is a good coach. They text me and stuff like that and they call my mom."
Though he is wide open and has plenty of time to select his college destination, Uyaelunmo, who plans to study business, already knows what factors will be important to him.
"A good academic school, good basketball program and the weather," he said. "I don't want it too cold, like freezing."
His comment about the weather should make Tennessee fans happy, since the winters in Knoxville are rather mild. The Vols offered Uyaelunmo recently, but the native Nigerian admitted he doesn't know too much about their program -- yet.
"I just got offered last week," Uyaelunmo said about Tennessee. "So I haven't really heard a lot from them."
A long, athletic, and bouncy player, Uyaelunmo is a defensive presence. He blocks or alters shots and has shown that he's a good rebounder including out of his area. Although his defense is ahead of his offense, Uyaelunmo has shown an ability to score inside quickly upon receiving an entry pass and on putbacks. He runs the floor and finishes well in transition. During the summer, he spent time working on his face-up game from the free throw line in. Uyaelunmo has added weight since the summer, but must continue to do so and add strength so he doesn't get pushed around in the post.