High school basketball players don't come much more decorated than Koa Peat. The five-star power forward from Perry High School in Gilbert won four state titles with the Pumas and was most recently named the Gatorade Player of the Year in Arizona.

Thursday, he gave one college program his commitment and he won't be going anywhere.

Tommy Lloyd identified Peat as one of his top targets soon after arriving in Tucson to take over the Wildcats' program. Since then, UA has been heavily involved in pursuing the 6-foot-8 star who is currently ranked No. 8 overall in the Rivals rankings for 2025.

Peat eventually narrowed his choices down to five programs, but it was the in-state Wildcats who won out as the elite forward announced his choice Thursday on The Pat McAfee Show.

"It was a super hard decision," Peat told McAfee after announcing his choice. "... Me and my parents had really serious talks about it, but I just felt like Arizona was the right situation for me. Coach Tommy is a great coach, they have great assistant coaches over there for my development and they're a winning program. So, I'm just excited to come down and play in McKale."

It was decided months ago by Peat that he would end up playing either at home in Arizona or in Texas with UA, Arizona State, Texas, Houston and Baylor making up the five finalists for the Perry star.

Each program was able to host Peat for visits, and he continued to mull his options throughout the winter.

The Sun Devils became a viable option for Peat while Houston garnered some heavy buzz throughout the process, especially late. However, the Wildcats had been involved as long as any program and the longevity of their pursuit and the persistence from Lloyd and his staff helped secure a major commitment for the team.

Peat kept his recruitment close the vest throughout the process and even the programs involved never had a clear picture for which way he was leaning at any given point.

Now, he is the cornerstone for a UA recruiting class that also includes five-star forward Dwayne Aristode and forward Bryce James.

The Wildcats have not signed multiple five-star recruits in a class since the 2019 cycle when they locked up Josh Green, Nico Mannion and Zeke Nnaji.

Peat as a unique player in his abilities with his combination of size and skill giving Lloyd and his staff an important piece to build around heading into next season.

"They like the way I play. They would play me all over the court," Peat previously told Rivals. "They see me as a versatile player. They see me as a versatile defender as well.”

The decision by Peat represents a significant recruiting win for Lloyd and the Wildcats with still in pursuit of five-star guard Brayden Burries in the cycle.

UA will hit the floor Thursday night in New Jersey for a Sweet 16 matchup with Duke.

> DISCUSS the article with other Arizona fans Inside McKale

> WATCH the latest videos from GOAZCATS.com and subscribe to our YouTube channel

> FOLLOW us on Twitter (@goazcatscom, @MattRMoreno, @THutch1995)

> FOLLOW us on Instagram (@goazcats)

> LIKE us on Facebook

> SUBSCRIBE for all the latest Arizona Wildcats team and recruiting news (subscribe now)