Malik Ondigo establishes himself
A late blooming big man out of the Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut, by way of Arizona, Malik Ondigo has quickly seen his name pop up atop of some of the better basketball program’s recruiting boards this winter. A 6-foot-10 center with vast upside and value in the frontcourt, the senior target showed off many dimensions to his game this past weekend at the National Prep Showcase where he spoke on the current state with his college recruitment.
While many will flock into Putnam Science this winter to see the likes of five-star scoring guard Hamidou Diallo and top-100 junior guard Eric Ayala, several others will make their way into New England for one of the better big men options available this winter. Despite making the move across the nation for his final year of high school play, Ondigo, whose father is of Kenyan descent, has seen his stock steadily improve by the week.
During his time on the floor at the Albertus Magnus gym a few days back, Ondigo displayed everything that you might want in a big man recruit. The 6-foot-10 center ran the floor from rim to rim, protected his basket out of the helpside, scored in traffic, and even showed off decent lateral abilities in guarding the high ball screen. While he does need to get stronger, the proper physical maturation should enable for proper weight gain, thus crossing off his primary deficiency at the current moment.
In speaking with the intriguing senior following his weekend’s worth of play, the Arizona native caught us up with his recruitment. “Right now, I have offers from Purdue, Colorado, Texas Tech, Kansas State, Tulane, Utah State, Washington State, TCU and Memphis,” Ondigo stated. “Of those, I probably talk to the most with Colorado, Washington State, and Memphis.”
Entering the winter months and heading to late signing in April, Ondigo did address what he wants in a college program. “I am really big on loyalty,” the Putnam center noted. “I want to have a really good relationship with the coaches and am looking for development.”
After being watched closely by Colorado over the weekend, it would seem the Buffaloes, along with a slew of others, are beginning to ramp up their attention with Ondigo, a big man that is tracking as one of the best available bigs this winter.