His name is Abu Kigab. He was relatively unknown entering the 2014-15 season but now moving into February he’s officially taken the 2017 Canadian class by storm.

6’6″ Kigab has enjoyed a sparkling season playing with “AAA” St. Francis. With the Phoenix he’s emerged as the heart and soul of a St. Catherine’s high school team that has exceeded expectations. A campaign so strong that he picked up his first official offer from the Virginia Tech Hokies Friday night.

Kigab is a great fit for Virginia Tech for many reasons. Primarily head coach Buzz Williams.

“He is one of the great young coaches in the game. … If I was an (athletic director), he’d be one of 10 people I would put on my list to hire,” said Louisville’s Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino this past November.

Coach Williams has coached various NBA players in the last decade. 6’6″ Jae Crowder, 6’5″ Wesley Matthews, 6’6″ Lazar Hayward and 6’7″ Jimmy Butler.

Like all of the above Buzz Williams pupils, Kigab too is an unconventional player in terms of his style of play. Kigab is not particularly fluid or explosive. Rather than pure talent, he relies more on strength, smarts, timing and determination to get the job done.

Kigab’s success in Canadian high school ball should parlay to success in AAU. Kigab will travel with Hamilton, Ontario based development club UPLAY; an emerging AAU club with a stable of horses headlined by 2016 Canadian internationals Nolan Narain (La Lumiere, IN) and Marquell Fraser (Southwest Christian, AK).

After a 30 point performance in his opening game at the 44th annual Silver Fox Invitational, including a whopping 20 free throw attempts (knocking down a very respectable 80% clip), Kigab followed it up with a 21 point performance versus St. Mary’s and 28 points versus MacNab.

It’s no longer a question if Abu Kigab is the real deal. He is officially knocking on the door for top talent in the 2017 Canadian class. The only question that begs now is whether Kigab can make the same impact at a high level college or some day make a career out of the sport he loves? Don’t bet against it.

A Sudanese-Canadian, Kigab is the son of a former 6’8″ Sudanese Olympian swimmer Sultan Kigab. With his father’s height many believe the youngest Kigab still has room to grow. That could be frightening for the opposition, at 6’6″ he is already relentless chasing rebounds. His father’s name is Sultan, a term in the English dictionary defined as ‘any absolute ruler’ — they might as well start calling Abu the ‘Sultan of Motor’ because his engine is second to none among his peers.

Kigab is beloved by many for a simple reason: he plays hard. Playing hard, as I’ll say for the billionth time, is a skill. That gives Abu the nod among every college coach I spoke with over his fellow class mate 2017 Christian David— currently ranked number one in the 2017 class by North Pole Hoops.

Motor, coach-ability and leadership are attributes that those who are in the trenches with Kigab admire most. He possesses a contagious positive attitude, good communication skills and should serve as an extension of Buzz Williams at Virginia Tech or for any head coach where ever he lands. His versatility helps too. Watch Kigab play a half dozen times and you’ll see a player who can also rebound, handle the ball and defend multiple positions.

With a high major offer to his name now, circle the name Abu Kigab and look for him to add more confidence to his arsenal and soar to even greater heights moving forward.