Texas secures the commitment of five-star Mohamed Bamba
CLASS OF 2017 RANKINGS: Rivals150 | Team rankings
Mohamed Bamba, the top-ranked prospect still remaining from the 2017 class, abruptly ended his college recruitment on Thursday morning, committing to Texas with an announcement through The Players' Tribune.
A 7-foot center, who has a 7-foot-9 wingspan, will immediately solidify the Longhorns’ frontline next season, one that recently saw Jarett Allen leave early for the NBA Draft after just one year in Austin.
Selecting Texas over Duke, Michigan and Kentucky, many had believed that Kentucky or Duke would be the eventual landing spot for the 7-foot center. He brings elite physical tangibles to UT as his standing reach and wingspan would have been tops in this past month’s NBA Draft Combine, but also because of his defensive abilities around the basket.
While his offensive game remains a bit behind his defense, it does not hinder just how high Bamba’s ceiling is. Selecting UT over two blueblood programs, the 2017 center told his side of the story on why he selected the Big 12 program on The Players’ Tribune.
“It’s hard to rank the exact order of these, but I definitely took into consideration the overall school environment, the college town atmosphere, how easy it would be for my family to visit (five different airlines have a direct flight from NYC), my idol Kevin Durant’s deep involvement with the Center for Sports Leadership & Innovation at the school, and my own gut feeling,” Bamba wrote.
Mentored by Shaka Smart last summer during his time with USA Basketball, Bamba felt a connection with his future head coach.
“Coach Smart may not have been aware of it, but I put him through a weeklong job interview last summer when he coached me on Team USA,” he noted. “His attention to detail is truly unbelievable.
“I’ve seen firsthand how much he genuinely cares about me and my family, and how he’s going to challenge me to be in a state of continuous improvement.”
Bamba gives Smart and his staff an elite anchor inside, someone that affects each possession of every game. He also gives the Longhorns a top-five recruiting class and one that could jumpstart the program after finishing last year 11-22.
