Former NBA center Manute Bol has led a charmed life ever since he was recruited out of Africa and played for a decade in the grandest stage of professional basketball.

Shortly thereafter, Bol raised a family in America before passing away in 2010. Although the seven-foot Sudanese is sorely missed by his family, his legacy on the court will likely be channeled and continued through his son, Bol Bol.

It turns out that the younger Bol is playing some fine basketball himself and has caught the attention of several collegiate coaches, particularly Wake Forest's Danny Manning and Kentucky's John CalipariSports Illustrated's Luke Winn wrote an article documenting Bol's showing at the FIBA U19 World Cup, with Manning impressed by what he's seen from the 17-year-old:

“Bol has a unique skill set for his size… He’s capable of stepping out on the perimeter and making shots, and his length gives him a chance to do things at the rim that surprise you.”

Winn also got a hold of FIBA U19 coach Calipari, who said that Bol was capable of doing “ridiculous” things on offense, recalling how smoothly Bol handled a certain fastbreak opportunity during the team's first night of scrimmages.

Manute Bol was a force to be reckoned with as a standout defender back in the 80s and 90s. Now, his son is being groomed to be the next big basketball sensation not only as an imposing defensive figure, but one who also has “really soft hands”, as Manning had put it. Having a reliable scoring touch is what separates Bol from Manute, and it's his two-way skill set that could very well lead him to greater success in the pros than his late father.

But first things first, Bol must further develop his raw potential; preferably in college basketball where he'll have proper training and testing before thinking about entering the NBA Draft. As it stands and with all the praises he's received from the likes of Manning and Calipari, perhaps he'll be receiving tryout invitations from several schools soon, with the Demon Deacons and the Wildcats as two highly-interested parties.