Vankirk considers prep school year
Mike Vankirk is hearing from a variety of schools but the Palmdale (Calif.) Paraclete center is also considering a prep school year after he finishes high school to further figure out his options.
"It's been kind of quiet recently," Vankirk said. "We got some calls over the summer. One of the most recent calls is from Columbia. Right now we're just focused on high school ball and working out on the weekends and working out in big man practice.
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"Especially being 7-1, you want to make sure there are schools out there that have good big man development. It's still kind of wanting to see what is out there on the landscape."
One of Vankirk's concerns is that he'd prefer to play in the Pac-10 but many schools are finalizing their recruiting classes and he might have a better chance landing in that conference in 2012.
That's why Vankirk is considering a prep year and has talked with some programs in the Northeast about doing it.
No decisions have been made yet and Vankirk said he'll wait toward the end of his senior season in high school to make a choice on what he'll do next.
"We're going to wait," Vankirk said. "If improvements are happening on a weekly or monthly basis with the game we're going to wait and see what happens.
"A lot of schools are tightening up their rosters and the people they're looking out for. We had a number of schools call before the summer and a different set of schools call after the summer or even during."
Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Colorado and Pacific have been some of the programs involved with the 7-footer. He also took an unofficial visit to Oregon State.
But college might have to wait another year after he finishes high school because Vankirk wants to find the perfect spot and he's willing to attend prep school if that looks like the best option.