Friars land first big recruit for 2014
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
It's the first commit in what Providence head basketball coach Ed Cooley hopes is a premier recruiting class for 2014.
According to multiple sources Monday night, 6-7 forward Jalen Lindsey has decided to accept a scholarship offer from the Friars, and play for the school beginning in 2014. Lindsey is a native of Nashville, TN and has been considered a Top 30-40 national player by most recruiting services, including Scout.com.
“I thought of all the schools recruiting me that they were definitely recruiting me the hardest,” Lindsey told Scout.com. “I felt like some of the schools recruiting me were sleeping on me. I know they were showing the most love since day one.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“I know coach Cooley will give me a great chance to go to the NBA,” Lindsey added. “I trust him as a coach and I like the whole staff. I have family that lives there too.”
Lindsey will play his final year of high school basketball at Huntington Prep in West Virginia, and picked PC over offers from several schools - including Florida, Ohio State, Tennessee, West Virginia, Louisville, LSU, Memphis and Vanderbilt.
“I think Coach Cooley is a great person,” Lindsey said. “He’s a coach that I would love to play for. He’s that kind of person. I think the whole staff is all great people. Their families are great. I think that’s what sets them apart. They were recruiting me really hard.”
Lindsey had two visits, one official and one unofficial, to Providence College to check out the school, the campus and facilities. Obviously, he liked what he saw.
“I thought it was really nice,” he said of Providence. “It’s a really nice campus. The guys are great. They have great facilities. They are also building new stuff for the basketball program.”
Lindsey has led his high school team to two state championships, prior to his transfer to Huntington Prep. He also has Rhode Island roots, with his father, Walter, a Woonsocket native and several relatives also living in the state.
