Saints could alter roster
Big man Kalu says Siena has offered him scholarship for the upcoming season
Even though it’s July, the Siena men’s basketball team might not be done shaping its roster for the 202122 season.
Kevin Kalu, a 6-foot-9 forward/ center from Baltimore, said the Saints have offered him a scholarship for the upcoming season.
“I haven’t really decided anything yet,” Kalu said. “I’m really not in any rush. I’m taking my time to go through all my options with my family.”
Kalu, who plays for Our Lady of Mount Carmel, said he also has offers from East Tennessee, Florida International, Marist and Radford. He has not ruled out the possibility of reclassifying to the Class of 2022.
“I would think the coach wouldn’t want me to rush into anything out of respect,” Kalu said. “I would have to take visits to these schools to talk to them and see what they can offer.”
It wasn’t immediately clear how Siena has a scholarship available for 2021-22. Siena head coach Carmen Maciariello didn’t immediately return a text.
Kalu said he hasn’t taken an official visit to Siena, though he did visit the campus for a team camp when he was 15.
“It was a nice experience,” he said. Kalu said Siena has recruited him for a while because of the coaching staff ’s familiarity with Mount Carmel head coach Trevor Quinn, a former Florida State and Loyola (Md.) assistant. Kalu also plays in the summer for Team Melo, the Elite Youth Basketball League team sponsored by Carmelo Anthony.
Kalu said he hasn’t spoken much with Maciariello, but “he’s been talking to my AAU coach. He’s the one that’s helping me make the decision.”
Kalu said he’s still available because of the pandemic, which caused the NCAA to ban live recruiting until recently.
“It’s really because of COVID,’’ he said. “You know coaches couldn’t get out and see us live and coaches didn’t want to take the risk of offering on film. They want to see you live …. I showed what I can do and the scholarships started rolling in.”
Kalu compared his style of play to Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela.
“I would consider my game kind of a Clint Capela game — rebound, run the floor, dunk everything and defend,” Kalu said.
Siena already has four big men on its roster: senior Jackson Stormo, junior Kyle Young, redshirt senior Michael Tertsea and senior Kyle Arrington.