Pierfrancesco Oliva committed to Saint Joseph's

Italian young forward Pierfrancesco Oliva, a 6-foot-8 forward from Bergen Catholic (N.J.), has verbally committed to Saint Joseph's of coach Martelli.

Per Cityofbasketballlove.com, Oliva (who prefers “Cecco” to “Pierfrancesco”) made his decision on Sunday (11/23) after visiting for the Hawks’ win over Vermont on Saturday, ultimately choosing Saint Joe’s over Elon.

“I just talked to the staff, I really like Coach Martelli. I think that’s the right fit for me,” he said. “Like two weeks ago I narrowed the list down to Saint Joseph’s and Elon. I think the biggest thing was the difference in the basketball program, the bigger conference. I had some other Atlantic 10 schools, but I wasn’t really intrigued by them.”

A native of Florence, Italy, Oliva is a typical Euro forward in that his perimeter game is much more advanced than his toughness and post abilities. His touch and passing skills give him the ability to work from the high post as well as the perimeter.

Growing up playing it Italy, college basketball was not always in the cards for Oliva. After living in the United States, however, he has already gotten an understanding of what he is in for over the course of the next four years.

“I didn’t really know what college basketball was. I’ve always had a dream of playing at the highest level as a pro here, but I didn’t really know that in between, it was college,” he said. “Since I got here, really since I was like 15 years old, some schools were recruiting me while I was in Italy, so I started getting how big of a deal it was. Now it’s a dream.

“Right now I’m just so excited and happy, I thought it was the right school for me.”