Another five-star recruit is headed to Lawrence. Udoka Azubuike, a massive 6’11 big man ranked as the No. 22 player in the class of 2016 by ESPN, picked Kansas over North Carolina, Florida State and others on Thursday. Azubuike joins four-star power forward Mitch Lightfoot in the Jayhawks’ next recruiting class.
5-star center Udoka Azubuike commits to Kansas over North Carolina
The Jayhawks landed their center of the future with the highly-touted big man out of Jacksonville.
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Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Azubuike plays his high school ball in Jacksonville and starred for the Georgia Stars on the grassroots circuit -- the champion of Nike’s EYBL tournament at Peach Jam. The 6’11, 270-pound big man is considered a traditional low post scorer, and should be a load inside for opposing Big 12 teams as soon as he arrives on campus.
Kansas has had a crowded front court the last two seasons, but the departure of seniors Perry Ellis, Hunter Mickelson and Jamari Traylor could open up a spot for Azubuike in the rotation. The Jayhawks are also expected to welcome back current junior Landen Lucas and current freshman Carlton Bragg. Cheick Diallo, the Jayhawks’ biggest recruiting grab in the class of 2015, will need to decide if he wants to enter the NBA draft as a possible first round or go back to school for his sophomore year.
Kansas isn’t done in the class of 2016:
Kansas is also involved with Josh Jackson, Jarrett Allen, Marques Bolden, Thon Maker and others. They're likely to add plenty more.
— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) January 28, 2016
Azubuike is rated as the lowest five-star recruit in the class of 2016 by ESPN.
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