Freddy Asprilla, a 6-foot-10, 280-pound center who was the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year in

2009, and currently one of the top junior college prospects in the country, will make an

official visit to Canisius College, according to Art Alvarez, his AAU coach.

Alvarez, who runs the AAU Miami Tropics program, is trying to set up a visit for Asprilla to

Canisius on Oct. 21. He is scheduled to visit Kansas State this weekend and Hofstra on Oct.

23. Asprilla is also being recruited by the likes of Oklahoma and Memphis.

"He will take all five visits before making a decision," Alvarez said.

Alvarez said the Golden Griffins are in the mix because coach Tom Parrotta recently visited

Villavicencio, Colombia to speak with Asprilla's parents.

"Tommy has worked the kid real hard," Alvarez said. "He went all the way down to Colombia,

which no one has done that."

As an assistant at Hofstra, Parrotta also coached former Tropics guard Carlos Rivera. Another

former Tropics guard, Gaby Belardo, who transferred to Canisius from South Florida during the

off-season, is a good friend of Asprilla.

Parrotta is also in pursuit of another Tropics player, Angel Rodriguez, a 5-11 junior point

guard. Parrotta flew down to Mexico to watch him play for the Puerto Rico National team.

"Tommy works his (butt) off," Alvarez said. "That's what impresses me about Tom Parrotta is

his work ethic and he's gone out of his way to recruit this kid who I know he wants very bad.

Those are the reasons why we are extending a visit to him."

If Asprilla signs with Canisius, he will be one of the highest-rated players to sign with the

Griffs. He signed with Miami (Fla.) out of high school but didn't qualify academically and

attended Paterson Prep School in North Carolina for a year before signing with Florida

International.

Asprilla averaged 14 points and 9.3 rebounds but decided to transfer after Florida

International coach Sergio Rouco was replaced by Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas. FIU, however,

refused to release Asprilla from his scholarship and he couldn't transfer immediately to a

Division I school. Asprilla is enrolled at two-year Miami Dade College and has two years of

Division I eligibility remaining.

Alvarez said that Asprilla could skip college and enter the 2010 NBA draft.

"The kid is a lottery pick," Alvarez said. "I've been telling all the coaches that he can sign

with you, but there's an opportunity he could go straight to the pros from junior college.

That's how good he is."