Arizona Basketball lands their second commit in the 2019 recruiting class. And while he’s not high-profile, Christian Koloko will have an important role with the program.
With a completely new slate (FBI Investigation not being mentioned anymore), Arizona Basketball has started gathering impressive players for the program’s 2019 recruiting class.
They got off to a great start, with the commitment of five-star point guard Nico Mannion, a local recruit who was favored to go to the Wildcats all along. He’ll be the centerpiece of what should be a 4-5 player class, depending on who’s left on the roster next offseason.
Mannion’s expected arrival shores up the backcourt for Arizona, with him, four-star freshman Brandon Williams, UNC Asheville transfer Dylan Smith and sophomore Brandon Randolph projected to be on the 2019-20 roster.
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The frontcourt is more of a question. Pitt grad transfer Ryan Luther won’t be around after this season, leaving just inconsistent sophomore forward Ira Lee and Duke transfer Chase Jeter, who was plagued with injuries while at his previous stop. The Wildcats are going after 4/5-star recruits such as Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Jaden McDaniels but the program isn’t a clear frontrunner for either in the same way they were for Mannion – meaning that they easily could end up emptyhanded.
In order to shore up the depth, Sean Miller and the coaching staff went out and landed an under the radar center for the 2019 recruiting class. Christian Koloko is a seven-footer from Cameroon who just recently started playing basketball a few years ago. At this stage, he’s incredibly raw and is a clear project, yet the potential is clearly there.
Already 7’0 and 200 pounds, Koloko is an outstanding athlete for a big man who already has a decent jumper in his arsenal. He can impact the game with his energy, defense, and rebounding while his overall fundamentals continue to develop.
A big reason why Koloko landed with Arizona was his connection with former high school teammate and current Wildcat freshman Devonaire Doutrive, which played a big part in his recruitment. Other power conference teams who had legitimate interest were Cal, Northwestern, Vanderbilt and other western-based schools.
Even with Koloko’s commitment, Arizona can still certainly go after one of those star frontcourt prospects. If need, the new commit can redshirt for a season while developing both his body and his game. That would be beneficial for the program in terms of competing in March for both now and in the future, with Koloko likely to be around a few years. Either way, the three-star big man is a great pickup for the Wildcats – even if he isn’t a “one and done” guy.