New Zealand 7-foot center Julius Halifainou’s stock has skyrocketed after participating in the NBA’s 2024 Basketball Without Borders event during All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis this past February. Halifainou, who took official visits to Virginia Tech and Xavier while in the US for the event, was named as the On3’s No. 3 performer in the event.
“The class of 2025 center is listed at 7-foot-0 and 280 pounds, On3’s Jaime Shaw said in his evaluation of Halifainou in February. “When he steps on the floor, you notice immediately that he is a very large player. What stood out with his game was his skill level. Halaifounua has a smooth jump shot with confidence and cleanliness. He scored on the block, going over both shoulders. He passed the ball well in the half-court.”
Due to his performance at the Basketball without Borders event, Halifainou was ranked in the top 40 of On3’s rankings.
Also, as a result of his work at the All-Star weekend event, Halifainou started to hear from other schools. Before returning to the US for July’s NBA Academy Games, he told Shaw that North Carolina, Kentucky, and Georgetown had been in contact.
Big East Program Has Emerged as Overwhelming Favorite For 7-Foot New Zealand Prospect, Who Recently Reclassified To 2024
Halifainou participated in the 2024 NBA Academy Games for the second time, and according to Jacob Polacheck of KSR+, he didn’t disappoint.
“I knew what to expect coming in,” Halaifonua said. “My coach was telling me that I could dominate. I felt like I did a pretty good job of that, especially towards the end of the tournament when we were going up against tougher opponents. I had a pretty good tournament.”
Halaifonua scored 16.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 7-of-8 threes during the week at the NBA Academy Games.
On July 19, Polacheck re-classified to 2024. After reclassifying to 2024, On3 slotted Halifainou as the No. 60 overall prospect and 11th-best center.
Despite still having a scholarship available for 2024 and having been in contact with Halifainou, it was recently revealed that Kentucky was no longer making a push for him. Thus leaving Georgetown and UNC as the frontrunners.
Who Is Julius Halifainou?
Halifainou is an 18-year-old, 7-foot, 291-pound center from Auckland, New Zealand. He comes from a rugby family; his dad and uncle played that sport, and he is widely considered a four-star prospect. He played his prep ball at the NBA Global Academy in Auckland.
Additionally, Halifainou has participated in several camps and played for New Zealand’s national team at the U17 level. However, he did play one game for their national team this past winter during the Asia Cup Qualifying Round. Halifanou averaged 6.3 points on 72.3% shooting, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 17.3 minutes in the 2024 Addidas Eurocamp.
“Some of my greatest strengths on the court are my passing and being able to score at all three levels in the post and out on the three as well,” Halaifonua told On3. “Defensively, I’m able to get out, disrupt the ball handler, and switch three through five. I can guard guys on the perimeter and in the post. Those are really my strengths on both sides of the court.”
Halifainou holds five scholarship offers. Virginia Tech, Marquette, Xavier, Georgetown, and Gonzaga.
Halifainou is expected to make his college decision shortly. He recently spoke about what he is looking for when choosing a school.
“Looking at the colleges, I definitely want to go to a place that utilizes their bigs, in terms of being able to score and play make through their bigs. Whether it’s on the perimeter or post, it’s definitely something I’ll be looking into when deciding on what college I want to attend.”
Looking At UNC and Georgetown
Georgetown and North Carolina each have scholarships available for 2024. Ed Cooley and his Hoyas staff and Hubert Davis and his Tar Heels staff took Halifainou’s work at the Academy Games. Kentucky, Virginia Tech, and Xavier staff were also there.
Georgetown Hoyas
Georgetown has fallen on lean times over the last 10 years, producing two winning campaigns and making two NCAA Tournament trips. The Hoyas are 22-73 over the previous three years and went 9-23 in Cooley’s first season.
Cooley has signed seven newcomers for the upcoming season, and his recruiting class, which includes four transfers, is ranked No. 21 in the country by 247Sports. The top transfers are Malik Mack (Harvard), Micah Peavy (TCU), and Curtis Williams Jr. (TCU).
GU only has incoming freshman Thomas Sorber, who is the consensus No. 41 prospect in 2024. Sorber is the only center listed on the depth chart.
“I know they’re a rebuilding program,” Halifanou said. “When Coach (Ed) Cooley was previously at Providence, he played a lot through his bigs, and that stood out to me.”
Georgetown is given a 93% chance of signing Halifanou by On3. Shaw recently said the following about the Hoyas recruiting efforts of Halifanou.
While I am told both schools are making a push for the four-star, one source close to the recruitment told me they would be surprised if Georgetown is ultimately not the choice. Recently speaking with multiple sources around the recruitment, Georgetown is the school that continues to build momentum.
North Carolina Tar Heels
Davis has done a fantastic job replacing Roy Williams, posting a 71-31 record while making one Final Four and winning the ACC regular season crown this past season. The Tar Heels, who have four bigs on the roster, have yet to offer Halifanou a scholarship.
“They’re new in my recruitment,” Halifanou said. “I still haven’t talked with them yet, but they are on the phone a lot with my coach back in New Zealand. I know about UNC, but I want to get on the phone with them after this and learn more about the program.”
