Four-star Forward Prince Aligbe Chooses BC Over Cal and Ohio State

Boston College men’s basketball went 16 years without landing a four-star recruit. The drought spanned from Craig Smith in 2002 to Jairus Hamilton in 2018.

New head coach Earl Grant just grabbed two in one recruiting cycle, something that hasn’t been done before by an Eagles staff, at least since Rivals started tracking recruiting data 19 years ago.

Forward Prince Aligbe committed to BC Friday morning. He had 22 offers from the likes of Cal, Ohio State, UCLA, USC, Florida, Notre Dame, Iowa and Georgetown.

The Minnehaha Academy (Minneapolis, Minnesota) product was between Cal, Ohio State and BC. He went with Grant and Co., joining fellow four star Donald “DJ” Hand Jr. and three star Chas Kelley.

Aligbe is ranked 64th nationally among all Class of 2022 prospects, whereas Hand is 102nd. The 6-foot-7, 225-pound forward averaged north of 11 points per game for a stacked Minnehaha team last season.

If the school name rings a bell, it’s because that’s where the nation’s top Class of 2021 recruit, Chet Holmgren, played. Holmgren, who committed to Gonzaga, starred alongside Aligbe. Also of note, the school produced Jalen Suggs, a standout playmaker for the Bulldogs during their run to the National Championship last season and the fifth overall pick of the Orlando Magic in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Playing at Minnehaha gave Aligbe great exposure at the national level, which displayed his athleticism. He can run the floor with anyone and is excellent at converting turnovers to fastbreak points. Aligbe isn’t afraid to crash the offensive glass, and he’s an active defender, generating blocks and tipped passes at will.

His outside shot is still progressing, however, he can cash in from beyond the arc and from the right and left block. Aligbe will likely make an impact as soon as arrives on the Heights.

Right now, he’s the focal point of a highly-anticipated 2022 Eagles recruiting class.