Arizona put itself in contention for the No. 1 recruiting class in the country on Friday afternoon, when ESPN 100 center Zeke Nnaji announced his commitment to the Wildcats.
"I'll be playing college basketball and continuing my education at the University of Arizona," Nnaji said during a ceremony at his high school.
Nnaji chose Arizona over a final list that also included Kansas, North Carolina, Purdue and UCLA. It was a recruitment that saw several twists and turns. Kansas and Arizona were long perceived to be the two favorites, but Purdue made up some ground late. North Carolina wasn't even on Nnaji's final list, but the Tar Heels emerged over the past month and brought Nnaji on campus last week.
Nnaji, a 6-foot-11 center from Hopkins High School (Minnesota), is ranked No. 38 in the ESPN 100 for the 2019 class. He boosted his stock during the spring and summer playing for the D1 Minnesota grassroots program on the Adidas Gauntlet circuit, averaging 14.5 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting better than 60 percent from the field.
Sean Miller and Arizona now have four ESPN 100 prospects in the fold for 2019, with Nnaji joining five-star guards Josh Green and Nico Mannion, as well as four-star small forward Terry Armstrong. High-ceiling three-star center Christian Koloko rounds out the group. The Wildcats had the No. 4-ranked recruiting class entering Friday, but are likely to jump both Kentucky and USC. Louisville's top-ranked class has five ESPN 100 prospects, but Arizona's has two five-star recruits.
The incoming class will help Arizona reload for the 2019-20 season. The Wildcats are expected to lose just two players -- former graduate transfers Justin Coleman and Ryan Luther -- from this year's team.