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The Daily Wildcat

The Daily Wildcat

 

Arizona basketball set to bring in top-ranked 2019 recruiting class amidst FBI investigation

UA+Mens+Basketball+Head+Coach%2C+Sean+Miller%2C+communicates+information+to+his+team+during+the+Arizona-West+New+Mexico+University+game+on+Tuesday%2C+Oct.+30+at+the+McKale+Center+in+Tucson%2C+Ariz.
Sofia Moraga
UA Men’s Basketball Head Coach, Sean Miller, communicates information to his team during the Arizona-West New Mexico University game on Tuesday, Oct. 30 at the McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz.

The future of Arizona basketball might look a little rocky at the moment, but with Sean Miller’s incoming recruiting class, you can see the light at the end of the dark tunnel. As of late-October, Arizona now has the No. 2 ranked class for the 2019 season, according to 247sports. Here’s who’s expected to suit up in red and blue next year.

Nico Mannion

Five star point guard Nico Mannion committed to Arizona earlier this year in September after visiting Tucson and the program.

Mannion currently attends Pinnacle High School in Phoenix, Ariz., and earlier this year, he changed his recruitment class from 2020 to 2019, meaning Mannion with join the Wildcats next season in 2019.

The No. 1-ranked point guard chose Arizona over top programs, including Duke, Kentucky and North Carolina.

Josh Green

Australia native, former teammate of DeAndre Ayton and top-10 prospect Josh Green committed to Arizona in October over top programs such as Villanova, the University of Kansas and Southern California.

Green, a five star guard, will join Mannion in strengthening Arizona’s backcourt next season. 

The two freshmen will join strong guards, such as Brandon Williams and Brandon Randolph.

Christian Koloko

Seven-foot center Christian Koloko committed to Arizona in September.

Koloko played with current Arizona freshman Devonaire Doutrive in high school at California’s Lake Balboa Birmingham.

The lanky center will add to Arizona’s frontcourt and bring a new spark to the Arizona offense that was lost with the drafting of DeAndre Ayton to the Phoenix Suns this past year.

Terry Armstrong

Wing player Terry Armstrong announced his top 10 schools back in August but did not commit to Arizona until about two weeks ago.

Armstrong’s top 10 schools included elite programs including Michigan State, Oregon and Xavier, but ultimately the 6-foot-6 player decided to bring his talents to the Old Pueblo.

What it all means

With everything that has been happening to Sean Miller and the Arizona basketball program with the FBI investigation, it seems it hasn’t stopped these four recruits from coming down to Tucson to continue the legacy of Arizona basketball.

It may be too soon to say that the FBI investigation and all that it entails will have an effect on future recruiting classes, but for the moment, Arizona basketball seems to be trending in the right direction for future years.


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