Creighton assistant Ryan Miller began calling new Bluejay commit Fredrick King as soon as King re-opened his recruitment in March.

Miller never stopped, and King told the World-Herald Tuesday that CU’s persistence played a significant role in his decision to play there next season.

“They stayed connected to me,” King said. “We started to get a bond, and I had a good relationship with the coaching staff.”

The 4-star center from the Bahamas visited Omaha in April, and he felt that same sense of kinship around CU’s campus. The Jays felt like a family, King said, and it didn’t hurt that they pushed national-champion Kansas to the brink in the second round without Big East Freshman of the Year Ryan Nembhard and Big East Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Kalkbrenner.

The latter will be defending King in practice, which will help King prepare for the size he’ll see across the Big East.

“(Kalkbrenner) is a great player,” King said. “He’s bigger than everybody else.”

At 6-foot-10, 220 pounds, King knows that feeling. But he doesn’t want to rely on his size to succeed at the next level. He enjoys watching Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George, a 6-foot-10 forward with guard skills. And King says he plans to work on his handle and jump shot this summer.

Those skills will be useful later in King’s career, when he earns a bigger role in coach Greg McDermott’s offense. But he understands the depth of experience ahead of him. CU’s eight returners, along with South Dakota State transfer Baylor Scheierman, will all start ahead of King in the Jays’ hierarchy. Next season, the freshman big man wants to help any way he can.

“I’ll come in after Kalkbrenner,” King said. “I’ll be able to help inside while also working on multiple skills.”