Arizona lands Serbian big man

THE RIVALS150: Class of 2014 - Class of 2015

Better late than never, Dusan Ristic left his home in Serbia to play his final season of high school ball at Bel Aire (Kan.) Sunrise Christian. Now, the

7-footer is off the board to a Pac-12 power.

While Ristic came over with the idea of showcasing himself to colleges, Sean Miller and his staff at Arizona had already laid quite a bit of groundwork. That early work paid off when Ristic committed to the Wildcats on Saturday afternoon.

Video of Ristic from his time overseas shows that he is skilled with good hands and touch. Since his arrival at Sunrise he has been able to show flashes of his ability as he acclimates himself to new surroundings.

Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com has scouted Ristic extensively, he paints a good picture of Ristic's reputation overseas.

"He's a legit 7-footer with a great frame and really long arms," Givony told Rivals.com. "He's as skilled a big man as you'll find. He can score with either hand in the post, is an excellent passer, and can step outside and shoot from the perimeter as well. He's consistently been considered one of the top prospects in the 1995 international class, which is one of the most talented we've seen in quite some time."

Givony believes that Ristic should arrive in Tucson college ready.

"He's been really well coached and should be able to contribute significantly from day one," said Givony. "He needs to continue to fill out his frame and improve his ability to deal with contact and physical play as he makes the jump to competing against higher level competition, but he's a definite NBA prospect long-term."

With the chance that Kaleb Tarczewski could turn pro after this season, Ristic is outstanding insurance and can help fill a hole left in the middle if Tarczewski does leave. If Tarczewski doesn't leave, then the Wildcats have twin towers on their hand.

Ristic joins what is an already loaded class headlined by the nation's No. 3 player Stanley Johnson, four-star junior college guard Kadeem Allen and four-star high schoolers Craig Victor and Parker Jackson-Cartwright.

Eric Bossi is the national basketball recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. You can click here to follow him on Twitter.

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