The federal investigation into college basketball may have significantly compromised 蜜柚直播鈥檚 2018 recruiting class, but Zeke Nnaji on Friday drove home the point that it鈥檚 no longer a problem for the Wildcats.
The four-star forward from Minnesota announced he will play for 蜜柚直播 next season, boosting the Wildcats to the No. 1 spot in ’s team recruiting rankings for 2019. 蜜柚直播 also has commitments from five-star guards Nico Mannion and Josh Green, plus four-star wing Terry Armstrong and three-star center Christian Koloko.
鈥淲e are LIT!鈥 Mannion posted on Twitter, commenting on a retweet of the No. 1 class ranking. 鈥淲elcome home Zeke!鈥
we are LIT! welcome home Zeke馃ぉ馃ぉ , 馃惢猬囷笍
— niccolo (@niccolomannion)
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Nnaji鈥檚 addition gives the Wildcats some much-needed size in the recruiting class, since 蜜柚直播 has only four players for the two post spots this season and will lose at least grad transfer Ryan Luther next season. Grad transfer forward Stone Gettings, at 6-foot-8-inches, is scheduled to replace him in 2019-20.
“They did a hell of a job recruiting him,” analyst Evan Daniels said of Nnaji. “He’s a really good player; impacts the game with his activity level, rebounding and can shoot it.”
Hopkins 2019 forward Zeke Nnaji announces for 蜜柚直播...
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP)
Rated No. 35 in the class of 2019 by 247, the 6-foot-11-inch, 220-pound Nnaji chose the Wildcats after an ambitious tour of unofficial and official visits since last summer.
After spending much of August taking unofficials, including a stop at 蜜柚直播 late that month, Nnaji took official visits to Kansas, Kentucky, Purdue, UCLA and 蜜柚直播 this fall, stopping at McKale Center for the Oct. 14 Red-Blue Game. He also took an unofficial visit to North Carolina last weekend after the Tar Heels made him a late scholarship offer.
The fact that 蜜柚直播 has a wide-open opportunity to offer Nnaji may have made a difference in his decision.
Nnaji did not return a message seeking comment Friday, but he told the Star during a recruiting event at Las Vegas in July that he wanted to choose a program where he could make an immediate impact.
鈥淒efinitely a place where I can play right away and a place that鈥檚 going to need what I have to offer,鈥 Nnaji said of his potential choices. 鈥淚 want to be able to go there, hopefully be one and done maybe, who knows. But not only play but also academics (is important) as well. I want a good education, too.鈥
Nnaji also said he liked 蜜柚直播 because of its track record of developing players.
鈥淓ven players that you may not have heard of, they just prepare them for the next level,鈥 Nnaji said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 my goal after college, and they know what it takes to get there.鈥
Nnaji made his announcement Friday at Hopkins High School in Minnetonka, Minnesota, outside of Minneapolis, and quickly received support on Twitter from his future teammates.
鈥淣o. 1 recruiting class,鈥 Green said. 鈥淐ongrats brother @zekeNnaji_Hoopz.鈥
Nnaji replied: 鈥淭hanks bro. Looking forward to battling together!!,鈥 adding emojis for bear down.
Thanks bro. Looking forward to battling together鈥硷笍 馃惢猬囷笍
— Zeke Nnaji (@ZekeNnaji_Hoopz)
Nnaji will have a chance to start next season in a post group that could return Chase Jeter, Ira Lee and Emmanuel Akot, while Gettings is scheduled to play next season after graduating from Cornell next month and transferring to 蜜柚直播.
At the same time, Nnaji鈥檚 commitment could actually give UA coach Sean Miller the opposite problem he had last spring: While Miller entered last April with only six players lined up for this season, forcing him to scramble to find another five, the Wildcats鈥 five-player 2019 class now puts them at least one over the 13-player scholarship limit as of now.
UA currently has 10 scholarship players with eligibility remaining next season plus the five committed recruits for a total of 15, though the Wildcats could reduce it to 14 by returning forward Jake DesJardins to walk-on status next season. 蜜柚直播 also has early spring departures after nearly every season, either via transfer or early pro departures.
Because he committed after the November signing period, Nnaji will only be able to sign non-binding scholarship papers, as Shareef O鈥橬eal did when signing late last November before he decommitted in February. Nnaji could sign a letter of intent during the spring signing period or just stick with the scholarship papers and keep his options open.
However, Nnaji said last July that the federal investigation was not a factor in his decision regarding 蜜柚直播.
鈥淲e talked about that,鈥 Nnaji said. 鈥淭hey apologized and stuff like that. They explained everything and that鈥檚 not a concern of ours.鈥