Five-star big man DeAndre Ayton, the top overall recruit in the 2017 recruiting class, announced he has committed to the Arizona Wildcats over Kentucky and Kansas.
The Bahamas native attends Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix, AZ, and he said that was deciding factor in his decision to to go to Arizona. After committing, he mentioned the excitement of getting to play where his mom could go to all of his games. Ayton also expressed a confidence that head coach Sean Miller can help him get to the NBA.
There had been rumors that Ayton would bypass college to play overseas for a year before entering the NBA Draft, but he shot those down on SportsCenter, saying there's no chance of that happening.
The 7'1", 245-pound Ayton is projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, and can play both power forward and center. Arizona has never produced a No. 1 draft pick in basketball.
Ayton averaged 15.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game while participating in Adidas Nations this summer, a showcase for the best high school recruits in the country. However, he gained extra notoriety for a monster stat line he posted in January, putting up 52 points, 33 rebounds and 10 blocks in a game against Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, KS).
Here's just a taste of why Ayton is the top prospect in the country:
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