Arizona basketball is building a monster recruiting class despite FBI scandal

Josh Green has committed to Arizona. The five-star wing from IMG Academy by way of Australia picked the Wildcats on Thursday over North Carolina and a host of other major programs.

He made his announcement on Twitter:

This is Arizona’s third commitment in the 2019 class and its second five-star recruit. Green joins Nico Mannion, a 6’3 guard from Phoenix, who gave his pledge to the Wildcats three weeks ago. Arizona’s class also includes 7-foot center Christian Koloko, who is considered a three-star prospect by most major scouting services.

Landing Green after landing Mannion is a major coup for Sean Miller and Arizona. Green is the No. 8 overall player in his class according to ESPN. He’s a rugged 6’6 swingman who plays both ends of the floor. He’s one of the better athletes in the 2019 class, using his speed to thrive in transition and his quickness to stay in front of opposing players on the defensive end. He has a sound all-around offensive game, showing an ability to shoot, pass and dribble that should be a perfect compliment to Mannion’s game.

Mannion is a top-flight prospect in his right, ranked No. 11 in his class by ESPN. He’s an attacking point guard who can score from all three levels and excels at creating separation off the dribble. Mannion is also considered one of the best shooters in his class. Both players project as day-one starters at Arizona for the 2019-2020 season.

Pulling in two players of Green and Mannion’s caliber would be an elite haul for any school, but it’s particularly notable for Arizona. A year ago, the Wildcats saw their recruiting class fall apart in the wake of the FBI investigation into corruption in college basketball that led to the arrest of assistant coach Book Richardson.

Five-star point guard Jahvon Quinerly, who appeared to be mentioned in the report, quickly decommited from Arizona and chose Villanova, where he’ll play this upcoming season. Shareef O’Neal, the son of Shaq and a top-50 recruit, who reneged on his commitment to the Wildcats and eventually chose UCLA. The one recruit that did chose to stick around was four-star point guard Brandon Williams, who should start for Miller’s team this season.

Arizona’s place as a college basketball power appeared to be in serious jeopardy following the scandal. Instead, the program has rebounded almost immediately even as the FBI corruption case goes to trial. For anyone who thought Miller was going to fall off as an elite recruiter, and that Arizona would stumble from its place as a perennial contender, the commitments of Green and Mannion prove otherwise.

Arizona basketball is back in a big way. The FBI scandal put a one-year dent in recruiting, but it appears it will only be limited to a year. There is still a chance the NCAA could punish Arizona for the FBI’s findings, but it apparently wasn’t enough of a deterrent to convince Green and Mannion to go elsewhere.

The rest of college basketball has been put on notice. Arizona isn’t going anywhere.