Its Official Casey to Harvard
As was first reported by the Boston Globe on Friday morning, Kyle Casey finally committed to Harvard on Thursday night.
It was no secret that the talented senior hoped to be a part of the Crimson program, as he essentially shut down his recruiting a few months back and didn’t mind sharing that he had his sights set solely on Harvard.
Late Thursday afternoon, Casey finally got the news he was looking for as he heard from the Harvard admissions office that he was receiving his likely letter. Very shortly afterwards, he called Crimson head coach Tommy Amaker and made his verbal commitment.
It’s a steal for Harvard to say it plainly. Casey had Atlantic 10 offers as well as Big East and Pac 10 schools telling him that if he went to prep school next year they would recruit him.
But because of his relationships with the Crimson coaching staff and the academic prowess of the school, Casey wasn’t interested in any other opportunity.
“Harvard academics are Harvard academics,” Casey told the Globe. “I just had a great relationship with coach [Will] Wade, coach [Brian] DeStefano, and later Tommy Amaker.”
Amaker has made it a habit of landing mid-major level players since his arrival in Boston. But Casey has the potential to be the best of the lot.
Widely considered to be a mid-major level player, Casey has continued to improve his game at a rapid rate. Had that progression continued, he is a guy who very well could have ended up in a high-major conference.
Standing at 6’7” he has the body of a forward with the skill set of a guard. He’s the prototypical match-up problem who can bring smaller defenders to the low post, attack slower players off the dribble, and stretch the defense a few feet beyond the three-point line with his shooting range. Additionally, he’s also an explosive (and believe it or not, underrated) athlete as well as a major shot blocking threat on the defensive end of the floor.
He has played the best basketball of his career in this, his senior season, at Brimmer & May. Not only does he lead the team with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks per game but he has also put them on his back in the big games, as they've recently knocked off St. Andrew's, Proctor Academy, and Marianapolis Prep, proving they are one of class B's top programs in just their first season in the league.
But despite all of his basketball ability, the most impressive thing about Kyle may be his decision making…on and off the floor.
After all, he’s going to have a diploma that says Harvard on it!
Kyle Casey