Three years ago, he was a high school sophomore in his native Puerto Rico watching Kansas University play basketball on television. Next season, Alex Galindo will be playing for the Jayhawks. "I've seen them on TV ever since I was little," Galindo said Monday after signing a scholarship agreement with KU. "Now I'll have a chance to play in Allen Fieldhouse."
Galindo, a 6-foot-7, 200-pounder, came to the U.S. two years ago, playing as a junior and a senior at St. Benedict's High in Newark, N.J., under coach Dan Hurley. "Alex is an athletic, very skilled perimeter player who can shoot the ball with range," Hurley said. "He really knows how to play."
Last November, Galindo was the toast of El Paso, Texas, when then UTEP head coach Billy Gillispie signed him to a letter of intent. At the time, Galindo was being touted as one of the most high-profile recruits ever to pen with the Miners. "He brings a ton of versatility because he's classified as a shooting guard, but can play the point as well," Gillispie said at the time. "He has a very long future in basketball. He will definitely help get us where we want to go."
Four months later, however, Gillispie took the head coaching job at Texas A&M, and soon thereafter Galindo asked to be released from his letter of intent. The Collegiate Commissioner's Assn. granted the request, and Galindo went on the open market. "Those guys care about him and want to see Alex do well," KU coach Bill Self said of Gillispie, his former assistant at Tulsa and Illinois. "When the coaching change occurred and they gave him a release, they didn't stand in Alex's way. No question the relationship helped."
Galindo, who averaged 18 points a game last season, was courted by Kansas, Pittsburgh, Georgetown and Rutgers. "It was a hard decision," Galindo said. "The main reason I picked Kansas is because it's a great opportunity for me to be a Jayhawk."
Although he has never seen a KU game in person, Galindo said he could sense the vibrant atmosphere while watching on television. "The people down there in Lawrence love basketball," he said. "That impressed me a lot. It's a feeling that can't be described."
Scouts think Galindo, like most high school players, needs to become stronger and more consistent, but they like his outside shooting and his ability to run in a transition game. At Kansas, Galindo projects as relief for starting wings Keith Langford and J.R. Giddens -- as a player who can come off the bench and produce points, a KU weakness last season.
"I see myself playing a lot of positions and shooting threes," Galindo said, "but I'll play wherever coach wants me to play." Self liked the fact Galindo will make the Jayhawks more versatile. "He's big enough to play with a small lineup," Self said, "but he's certainly a true perimeter player. He is an excellent shooter with range, and he also has great feel for the game."
Self credited Galindo's high school coach for providing the court sense. "Dan Hurley has done a tremendous job," Self said, "of taking a young man from Puerto Rico under his wing and developing his skill level to the point where it is now. He should really be commended." Self also was quick to praise Galindo's attitude -- and sense of humor. "Alex is a great kid," Self said. "He'll call me and say, ‘This is Alex, your favorite Puerto Rican player.' I'll say: ‘Alex, you're right, you're my only Puerto Rican player.'"
Galindo becomes the fourth member of Self's first KU recruiting class. During the early signing period last November, Self signed Darnell Jackson, a 6-8 post player from Midwest City, Okla.; Alexander "Sasha" Kaun, a 6-11 Russian who played high school ball in Florida; and Russell Robinson, a 6-1 guard from New York.