Nation’s No. 3 recruit Charles Bassey commits to WKU, reclassifies to 2018 class
June 13, 2018
Charles Bassey, the nation’s No. 3 rated prospect in the class of 2019 is re-classifying and heading to the Hill, a source told the Herald.
Bassey will re-classify to the 2018 signing class and play this season for the Hilltoppers.
“After discussing this opportunity with my parents, I feel that this is the best decision for me,” Bassey said in a statement. “Rick Stansbury was the first coach to offer me, and I’m comfortable here. I know Coach Stansbury will push me and I want to be a part of rebuilding this program. I’m looking forward to the challenges that college brings and hope to help us win the conference.”
Bassey, a 6-10, 220-pound center from Aspire Academy in Louisville, is originally from Nigeria. He chose WKU over Kansas, Oklahoma, Baylor, Tennessee and others.
“We’re happy to have Charles join our family,” WKU head coach Rick Stansbury said in a statement. “We’re excited about the talent of basketball player he is, but most importantly, the type of person and student he is. He’s a 3.9 GPA student with great character, and we look forward to having him in our program.”
Bassey is the No. 3 rated prospect by ESPN and Rivals, a consensus 5-star recruit and the top player in Kentucky. He moved to San Antonio, Texas at age 14 and played at St. Anthony Catholic School for two years before moving to Louisville and playing at Aspire Academy this past season.
In 2015-16, Bassey earned Freshman All-American honors from MaxPreps. He averaged 20.2 points, 17.1 rebounds and 5.9 blocks per game as a freshman and led St. Anthony to a Texas 5A State Championship victory with a team records of 32-6.
Bassey averaged 19.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, 3.4 blocks, 2.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game in his junior year at Aspire Academy last season. Bassey shot 56.5 percent from the field and is a legitimate 3-point threat shooting it at 42.1 percent from beyond the arc.
So now, one summer after losing what would have been the school’s highest rated recruit in history with 2017’s No. 9 recruit Mitchell Robinson, Stansbury one-upped himself and got the No. 3 overall prospect.
