Omoruyi is a main option for Kentucky
Clifford Omoruyi (https://rutgers.rivals.com)
David Sisk • CatsIllustrated
Staff Writer
Last spring John Calipari proved to
Clifford Omoruyi
that he was a major option for Kentucky when he offered him a scholarship. From all appearances, the four-star center is expected to be on top of the Big Blue priority list this coming spring as well.
Omoruyi went through the Early Signing Period without deciding on a college and the popular narrative is that it will be late March at the earliest before he cranks the process back up.
Omoruyi had a busy fall. He had an original list trimming late in September, and then cut it again to eight last week. Kentucky, Arizona State, Auburn, Kentucky, Memphis, Miami, North Carolina State, Rutgers, and UCONN survived.
After the AAU season concluded, he also took several unofficial visits to the likes of UCONN, and Rutgers, and several other schools that didn't make it. He saw Rutgers again last week. Maybe more importantly, he took his first official visit to Auburn.
Meanwhile, we weren't hearing a lot about Kentucky and Omoruyi in the late summer and early fall, but Kentucky's interest never waned. Calipari and Tony Barbee both combined to make a couple of trips to New Jersey in the fall to see the coveted center.
Omoruyi's guardian, Mohamed Oliver, has been a friend to Cats Illustrated. He spoke to us just after Clifford was offered in the spring, and has been very cordial to us since then. We spoke again to him on Thursday night and he shared the latest with us on where things stand between the two parties.
Q: Things were kind of quiet during the summer, but it appears Kentucky's recruitment of Clifford has been a constant.
Oliver: "Yes, they definitely are consistently recruiting him. They've let him know that he is somebody that they want. He is not a second option. He's a main option with them. He's a centerpiece basically. They've just let him know that they like him and they want him."
Q: Is it safe to say that recruiting is not his priority right now since his high school season is getting ready to begin?
Oliver: "We're getting ready for the season and making sure his academics are staying on point. Like I've told you before, Cliff is a high academic kid, and that's first priority in our household. We're trying to keep his books in line and win the championship with his high school team."
Q: Speaking of academics, I've heard that Clifford has a strong interest in engineering.
Oliver: "Absolutely, he wants to be a mechanical engineer. That will be his major in college."
Q: Have the coaches described the role they have for Cliff if he decided to go to Kentucky?
Oliver: "Yeah, basically the best way to say it is Cal wants him for who he is. He runs the floor, protects the rim, rebounds at both ends, finishes at the basket, and plays above the rim. That's what excited him about Cliff from the first time he saw him, and that's why he's still with him today.
The best way I could describe our conversation was he is looking for a low maintenance person. He's not someone who will go to Kentucky and be like I've got to go to the league in one year. Cliff's is going to get his degree unless he is a guaranteed lottery pick. Cliff is more like a Willie Cauley-Stein and a Karl-Antony Towns. That's what Calipari said. I recall the first conversation. In talking, he basically let us know that he would love to coach him simply because he wasn't projected to be a pro. He has pro attributes in size and measurements, but he has only been playing basketball a little over three years now. He's just doing what he does at his position."
Q: Corey Evans wrote this week that Cliff has a very strong relationship with Devin Askew. Could you expound on that a little bit?
Oliver: "I call Devin a point god and not a point guard, because he's one of the very few people in the country who plays that position that loves to pass. I remember when Cliff went to the Top 100 Camp, I was so nervous because he's never been in anything like that, and most of the time these point guards want to score and have you run up and down and never give you the ball. The first time he and Devin were in the pick and roll, Devin dragged the roll out and threw the alley oop. Cliff dunked it and it was like a breath of fresh air. It was like Wow! I happened to be standing next to Brian, Devin's father, and we didn't even know each other. The first thing I said was, "Who the hell is this guard?" The first thing he said was, "Who the hell is this big man?" We became friends ever since. We talk to each other pretty frequently. We really don't talk about recruitment. We just talk.
I remember when Devin got offered by Kentucky. I called Brian and said congratulations. I knew that Devin liked Kentucky and he liked a couple of other schools as well. But I just knew that he was going to go to Kentucky. It just made the most sense. Devin is the perfect piece for that recruiting class that they have with or without Cliff. There's only one guard that's going to get all of them the ball. In this day and age in America, I don't know of any other point guard that can pass like he does."
Q: We hear that it's going to be after his high school season or in the spring before hs makes his college decision. Is that correct?
Oliver: "Yeah, he'll make his decision after the season. By the time his season ends he will probably have his list cut down to five. We already have taken one official visit. We have four more left, and we'll go see those other four schools and make the devision from there. The best thing waiting is some schools can't afford to wait late, so they kind of move on. Sometimes that works for the best."
Q: Do those four visits happen after the season?
Oliver: "Yes. They will happen after the season. All we are doing now is trying to catch as many games as we can so we can see the teams play live. A coach will tell you one thing. It's another thing to see. So it's seeing for the most part and then making the move from there."
Q: Have you been watching Kentucky play this year?
Oliver: "Oh yeah. We actually saw the in person against Michigan State. Kahlil (Whitney) and Cliff are familiar with each other. We keep track of Kahlil and everything that is going on with him. So Kentucky is a situation we are very familiar with. Isaiah Briscoe, his father was a close friend of mine. He helped me train Clifford when he first got here. So we watched a lot of Kentucky when Isaiah was there. Now Kahlil is there."
Q: Nick Richards has really come along. Is the post improvement at Kentucky something you guys watch?
Oliver: "To be honest with you, no. Because I know that everybody's work ethic is different, so you can't really watch improvement or lack of and blame the coach for it. Cliff had the pleasure of seeing Nick Richards in high school when he was a freshman. He knows E.J. Montgomery. He played against him on the Adidas Circuit. Everybody is different. I do know this about Kentucky. If you go there and you're willing to work, you will get better. If you go there and you're just happy to be there, then you might have a rough time. My favorite line that Cal says is, 'Kentucky ain't for everybody.' I'm a firm believer of that. I've seen it.
Me personally, I've had the pleasure of being there for Kentucky Midnight Madness when Isaiah was there. I had the pleasure of watching all of Isaiah's games there. I know that Isaiah speaks highly of Kentucky. He loves the Strength and Conditioning Coach there (Robert Harris). He loves him. Isaiah told Cliff and me that if you think you're ripped now, if you go to Kentucky you will look like Dwight Howard on steroids. He knows Cliff's work ethic. When I spoke to Coach Harris, what he actually said to me was, 'If he wants it, I'll give it to him, but everybody doesn't really want it.' I agree with that."
Clifford Omoruyi (https://rutgers.rivals.com)
David Sisk • CatsIllustrated
Staff Writer
Last spring John Calipari proved to
Clifford Omoruyi
that he was a major option for Kentucky when he offered him a scholarship. From all appearances, the four-star center is expected to be on top of the Big Blue priority list this coming spring as well.
Omoruyi went through the Early Signing Period without deciding on a college and the popular narrative is that it will be late March at the earliest before he cranks the process back up.
Omoruyi had a busy fall. He had an original list trimming late in September, and then cut it again to eight last week. Kentucky, Arizona State, Auburn, Kentucky, Memphis, Miami, North Carolina State, Rutgers, and UCONN survived.
After the AAU season concluded, he also took several unofficial visits to the likes of UCONN, and Rutgers, and several other schools that didn't make it. He saw Rutgers again last week. Maybe more importantly, he took his first official visit to Auburn.
Meanwhile, we weren't hearing a lot about Kentucky and Omoruyi in the late summer and early fall, but Kentucky's interest never waned. Calipari and Tony Barbee both combined to make a couple of trips to New Jersey in the fall to see the coveted center.
Omoruyi's guardian, Mohamed Oliver, has been a friend to Cats Illustrated. He spoke to us just after Clifford was offered in the spring, and has been very cordial to us since then. We spoke again to him on Thursday night and he shared the latest with us on where things stand between the two parties.
Q: Things were kind of quiet during the summer, but it appears Kentucky's recruitment of Clifford has been a constant.
Oliver: "Yes, they definitely are consistently recruiting him. They've let him know that he is somebody that they want. He is not a second option. He's a main option with them. He's a centerpiece basically. They've just let him know that they like him and they want him."
Q: Is it safe to say that recruiting is not his priority right now since his high school season is getting ready to begin?
Oliver: "We're getting ready for the season and making sure his academics are staying on point. Like I've told you before, Cliff is a high academic kid, and that's first priority in our household. We're trying to keep his books in line and win the championship with his high school team."
Q: Speaking of academics, I've heard that Clifford has a strong interest in engineering.
Oliver: "Absolutely, he wants to be a mechanical engineer. That will be his major in college."
Q: Have the coaches described the role they have for Cliff if he decided to go to Kentucky?
Oliver: "Yeah, basically the best way to say it is Cal wants him for who he is. He runs the floor, protects the rim, rebounds at both ends, finishes at the basket, and plays above the rim. That's what excited him about Cliff from the first time he saw him, and that's why he's still with him today.
The best way I could describe our conversation was he is looking for a low maintenance person. He's not someone who will go to Kentucky and be like I've got to go to the league in one year. Cliff's is going to get his degree unless he is a guaranteed lottery pick. Cliff is more like a Willie Cauley-Stein and a Karl-Antony Towns. That's what Calipari said. I recall the first conversation. In talking, he basically let us know that he would love to coach him simply because he wasn't projected to be a pro. He has pro attributes in size and measurements, but he has only been playing basketball a little over three years now. He's just doing what he does at his position."
Q: Corey Evans wrote this week that Cliff has a very strong relationship with Devin Askew. Could you expound on that a little bit?
Oliver: "I call Devin a point god and not a point guard, because he's one of the very few people in the country who plays that position that loves to pass. I remember when Cliff went to the Top 100 Camp, I was so nervous because he's never been in anything like that, and most of the time these point guards want to score and have you run up and down and never give you the ball. The first time he and Devin were in the pick and roll, Devin dragged the roll out and threw the alley oop. Cliff dunked it and it was like a breath of fresh air. It was like Wow! I happened to be standing next to Brian, Devin's father, and we didn't even know each other. The first thing I said was, "Who the hell is this guard?" The first thing he said was, "Who the hell is this big man?" We became friends ever since. We talk to each other pretty frequently. We really don't talk about recruitment. We just talk.
I remember when Devin got offered by Kentucky. I called Brian and said congratulations. I knew that Devin liked Kentucky and he liked a couple of other schools as well. But I just knew that he was going to go to Kentucky. It just made the most sense. Devin is the perfect piece for that recruiting class that they have with or without Cliff. There's only one guard that's going to get all of them the ball. In this day and age in America, I don't know of any other point guard that can pass like he does."
Q: We hear that it's going to be after his high school season or in the spring before hs makes his college decision. Is that correct?
Oliver: "Yeah, he'll make his decision after the season. By the time his season ends he will probably have his list cut down to five. We already have taken one official visit. We have four more left, and we'll go see those other four schools and make the devision from there. The best thing waiting is some schools can't afford to wait late, so they kind of move on. Sometimes that works for the best."
Q: Do those four visits happen after the season?
Oliver: "Yes. They will happen after the season. All we are doing now is trying to catch as many games as we can so we can see the teams play live. A coach will tell you one thing. It's another thing to see. So it's seeing for the most part and then making the move from there."
Q: Have you been watching Kentucky play this year?
Oliver: "Oh yeah. We actually saw the in person against Michigan State. Kahlil (Whitney) and Cliff are familiar with each other. We keep track of Kahlil and everything that is going on with him. So Kentucky is a situation we are very familiar with. Isaiah Briscoe, his father was a close friend of mine. He helped me train Clifford when he first got here. So we watched a lot of Kentucky when Isaiah was there. Now Kahlil is there."
Q: Nick Richards has really come along. Is the post improvement at Kentucky something you guys watch?
Oliver: "To be honest with you, no. Because I know that everybody's work ethic is different, so you can't really watch improvement or lack of and blame the coach for it. Cliff had the pleasure of seeing Nick Richards in high school when he was a freshman. He knows E.J. Montgomery. He played against him on the Adidas Circuit. Everybody is different. I do know this about Kentucky. If you go there and you're willing to work, you will get better. If you go there and you're just happy to be there, then you might have a rough time. My favorite line that Cal says is, 'Kentucky ain't for everybody.' I'm a firm believer of that. I've seen it.
Me personally, I've had the pleasure of being there for Kentucky Midnight Madness when Isaiah was there. I had the pleasure of watching all of Isaiah's games there. I know that Isaiah speaks highly of Kentucky. He loves the Strength and Conditioning Coach there (Robert Harris). He loves him. Isaiah told Cliff and me that if you think you're ripped now, if you go to Kentucky you will look like Dwight Howard on steroids. He knows Cliff's work ethic. When I spoke to Coach Harris, what he actually said to me was, 'If he wants it, I'll give it to him, but everybody doesn't really want it.' I agree with that."
