Kyle Casey was merely expecting to receive the results of his SAT II scores yesterday afternoon. But he was in for a surprise when, at 5 p.m., he got a call from Harvard University’s admissions office.

“They called and said they were giving me a likely letter, I just have to keep my grades up,” the Brimmer & May senior forward and McDonald’s All-American nominee said.

And with that, Casey called up head coach Tommy Amaker 10 minutes later and made what had become and all-too-easy decision. Casey verbally committed to the Crimson at around 5 p.m. yesterday.

Casey, a Medway resident, has made it known for a while now that he’d been throwing all his eggs in the Harvard basket. Stanford, Vanderbilt, Providence and Davidson have all come calling at one point or antoher, only to be pushed aside. The relationship between Casey and Harvard’s coaching staff was that strong.

“Harvard academics are Harvard academics. I had a lot of schools looking at me,” Casey said. “But Harvard expressed the most interest, they came to the most games to watch me. I just had a great relationship with coach (Will) Wade, coach (Brian) DeStefano and later Tommy Amaker. That was a huge contributor to my decision.”

Some, like Brimmer head coach Greg Kristof, consider the commitment “an absolute steal” for the Crimson. The Gators, behind Casey’s averages of 18 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks per game, are 18-2 following a loss last night to Tilton.

Others, like Scout.com national recruiting analyst Dave Telep, hesitate to use the word steal, but offer plenty of praise.

“The thing that sets Kyle apart, his body is so strong and he’s such an explosive guy, he’s going to be a problem for a lot of Ivy League schools,” he said. “I think Casey is a legitimate mid-major player who can play in leagues better than the Ivy League. They’re routinely getting guys better than their league, and eventually that’s going to see through.”

A steal?

“This is a guy who, if you’re in the Atlantic-10, you’re good with starting Kyle Casey," Telep said.

Boston Trinity head coach Rick Linet was one of the coaches on hand during last fall’s Reebok Preseason Tuneup sessions in South Boston and Canton, which Casey participated in. He notes: “I’ve really seen him come along. The thing about it also is that he’s got a really excellent work ethic. He was one of the kids there working hard, both in conditioning and skills. He’s one of the best leapers I’ve ever seen.”