NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing 5-star center Adem Bona top 7 teams

In the 2022 NCAA Basketball recruiting class, there’s actually plenty of depth when it comes to true centers, even after original No. 1 overall prospect Jalen Duren reclassified to play for the Memphis Tigers this upcoming season.

There’s a consensus view that Dereck Lively is the best center in the class but there are six others that are around the “five-star” range that have tremendous potential in their own right. One of them is Adem Bona, a top-20 overall prospect originally from Nigeria who moved to Turkey a few years ago, before now residing in Napa, California out on the west coast.

Bona is a 6’10 and 230-pound big man that is arguably the best frontcourt defender in the entire class. Although still a bit raw on the offensive end, the center is an elite shot-blocker and interior defender, while also being one of the best rebounders on both ends. The measurables and intangibles makes him an almost guarantee high-impact player, even if his post skills never become top-tier.

For teams not in the running for someone like Lively, Bona is now a top priority and now we know which programs are officially in the running.

While the NBA G League and Overtime Elite are out of the picture, the Australian NBL is around and could keep Bona out of the NCAA Basketball picture. But if he does choose the college route, there are seven legit options he can choose from. Here’s how I would view the potential fits.

Arizona State Sun Devils

The Sun Devils didn’t have much of a frontcourt last season but did land top-30 center prospect  Enoch Boakye, likely to start in a few months. They also have three-star commit Duke Brennan for the 2022 class to add depth but that won’t affect Bona.

What would affect Bona is whether or not Boakye stays around for another year. He’s not viewed as a “one and done” NBA Draft prospect so he and Bona would have to find a way to share the court together. Otherwise, Boakye may depart rather than come off the bench.