Recruiting Report: Malik Ondigo (AZ-2016)
If you have had the pleasure of watching Dysart High School play or The Factory (Arizona), you have undoubtedly observed 6’10” PF/C Malik Ondigo. His sheer length and height alone will attract your attention. Watching him play; however, will keep your…
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Continue ReadingIf you have had the pleasure of watching Dysart High School play or The Factory (Arizona), you have undoubtedly observed 6’10” PF/C Malik Ondigo. His sheer length and height alone will attract your attention. Watching him play; however, will keep your attention.
Onidgo is such a “surprise talent” as he has only played this game for about 2 years. In that time, he has developed an above average jump shot, a great feel for where the rebound will land, and a physical style of play. One of the toughest things to teach players at the high school level is toughness and endurance. With that said, Ondigo has both of those. He relentlessly crashes the glass well, gets up and down the court well, and builds the metaphorical wall on defense that alters many people’s shots. At 6’10”, it is also not beneath him to dive for loose basketballs and get some knee burns.
Currently, Ondigo has offers from “Colorado, Kansas State, Utah State, UTEP, Cal Poly, NAU, Pacific, and Texas Tech.” Moreover, he has received interest from, “Washington, Marquette, Washington State, Wake Forest, ASU, USC, Nevada, San Diego State, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Boise State, Utah, Nebraska, and Cal.”
Despite the offers and the interest, at this time, Malik is planning on going to a prep school. His reasoning is that, “I have been playing basketball for 2 years and I feel like I need an extra year for experience. Also, I’m only 17… so, I need one extra year to let my body develop.”
His hope is that from playing a year at a prep school, he will be able to “add weight and add more range to [his] jumper.” He noted that he feels as though the game favors more of a small forward playing the pop 4 spot; thus he needs to add the range to his game so that he can fit into the lineup at the 3 or 4. This would make him a more dynamic and versatile player as he would be able to provide length, guard an array of positions, and be effective on the offensive end from multiple spots.
On his own, he has been working greatly on his ball handling, passing, post footwork and shooting. He hopes that his work is able to be shown in his last live period as an unsigned senior.
At this point, Ondigo has not decided on what prep school. However, wherever he lands, they will be getting a steal. I have been thoroughly impressed with his work. On the national circuit, he has made a name for himself due to his relentless work on the glass and defensive end. Many bigs are able to get by due to their height. He does much more than that and has a motor that is second to none for Arizona bigs in his class. His uncoachables mixed with this work ethic and a desire to be successful make him a certain NCAA Division-1 prospect with a lot of upside. I would expect to see him making a name for himself at that level.