College Commitment: Wilfried Likayi (2017 Parkrose/Casper College)
After teammate and proverbial brother Isaac Bonton made his future college plans this week, Wilfried Likayi is now off the board as well. The lanky 6-foot-10 forward from Casper College announced on Friday that he’ll be attending New Mexico State next year and he and the Aggies had built a relationship for quite some time. And when it came down to it for the former Parkrose Bronco, that’s what won over Likayi’s services in the end.
“Honestly they had been recruiting me since I first stepped into my sophomore season and they’ve been engaging with me during the summer when I was at showcases,” Likayi said. “We just created a bond from then and kept it going from there. And now I decided to make the decision to commit to them. I really like the school and I feel like they’ll provide a lot.”
“The team is full of great kids and great players and they just make you feel welcome into the program,” he continued. “It’s a great community in all and make you feel welcome when you step foot on campus.”
New Mexico State has had great success in recent years and has gone on to put some players in the NBA – most notably current Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam. In fact, Likayi has even heard some of the comparisons between himself and the former Aggie standout but he’s just looking forward to contributing however he can on the basketball floor.
“Coach (Chris) Jans is a great coach and I feel like he’ll put me int he positions to excel and do the right things and all the right things I need to be successful,” Likayi said. “So whatever Coach Jans is going with is how I’m walking.”
Likayi made his official visit to Las Cruces a couple of weeks ago, and then along with Bonton visited Washington State last weekend before making up his mind to be an Aggie. The commitment puts a cap on what’s been a great two years for Likayi, who came out of Parkrose in 2017 with a ton of potential and now he’s one of the top junior college transfers in the country.
“I feel like I’ve grown tremendously and coming to Casper College has made me who I am today,” Likayi said. “A big shout out to coach Dan Russell, I wouldn’t be here without him. I feel like I’ve grown mentally from just being around him and everything he’s done for me, just buying into all the little things – that made me into a better person and player overall.”