'I fell in love with the academy:' Peninsula's 6-8 senior forward Kaleb Lichau announces commitment to Air Force

Peninsula’s Kaleb Lichau, a 6-foot-8 class of 2020 power forward, has committed to Air Force, he announced in a post Tuesday morning to Twitter.  Lichau has
'I fell in love with the academy:' Peninsula's 6-8 senior forward Kaleb Lichau announces commitment to Air Force
'I fell in love with the academy:' Peninsula's 6-8 senior forward Kaleb Lichau announces commitment to Air Force /

Peninsula’s Kaleb Lichau, a 6-foot-8 class of 2020 power forward, has committed to Air Force, he announced in a post Tuesday morning to Twitter. 

Lichau has served as a rim protector and outside shooter for the Seahawks and appears poised to assume a bigger role for his senior season after the departure of three senior all-3A South Sound Conference selections Seth Kasteler, Elijah McLaughlin and Sam Miller. 

Lichau played in a June showcase put on by the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association that drew some 100 college coaches and featured some of the state's top talent.

Air Force Academy, a Mountain West program, first saw Lichau in May at the Under Armor AAU tournament in Kansas City, where Lichau was competing with Washington Supreme. He took his official visit last weekend — his only official — and "fell in love with the academy." So much so that he commit right away.

Lichau was recruited by Air Force assistant Andrew Moore, who outlined to the senior that his role would be that of a scorer and facilitator from the post.

"They want me to play the five but they run the ball through their center, so the center needs to be able to score and pass," Lichau said.

Peninsula coach Matt Robles weighed in on the news. 

“It has been a tremendous honor to have had a front row seat to watch his growth on and off the court over the last four years,” Robles said in a tweet. “His future is VERY bright.”

Peninsula went 6-14 overall, 3-11 3A SSC last year and missed the playoffs.


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Andy Buhler, SBLive Sports
ANDY BUHLER, SBLIVE SPORTS

Andy Buhler is a Regional Editor of Texas and the national breaking news desk. He brings more than five years of experience covering high school sports across the state of Washington and beyond, where he covered the likes of Paolo Banchero and Tari Eason served on state tournament seeding committees. He works on the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national boys basketball rankings. He has covered everything from the Final Four, MLS in Atlanta to local velodrome before diving into the world of preps. His bylines can be found in The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), The Associated Press, The Columbian (Vancouver, Washington), The Oregonian and more. He holds a degree from Gonzaga and is based out of Portland, Oregon.