Months of fans getting anxious came to an end Wednesday as Arizona's last remaining unsigned commit put pen to paper and inked his National Letter of Intent with the program giving the Wildcats signatures for all five of the current committed recruits. Five-star big man Zeke Nnaji committed to the program just after the fall signing period back in November meaning he couldn't sign until the start of the spring period, April 17.
While some fans thought that meant he planned to back out at some point, it was more of a formality than anything. Nnaji has remained locked in with the program since he made his decision and since that time he has only continued to improve as a player.
He led his Hopkins High School team to a state title earlier in the year and since he committed to the Wildcats his ranking has continued to rise as he went from a four-star recruit at the time of his pledge to a five-star prospect in the top-30 of the Rivals.com rankings currently.
Nnaji is a key piece to the Wildcats' recruiting class in 2019 as a true power forward prospect with the face-up game to stretch the floor but the size to patrol the paint and create mismatches.
There was never any question of where he would end up after making his decision in the fall, but he now officially has the next part of his recruitment wrapped up and now it's about looking to the future for the five-star big man.
"It feels like a big weight is lifted off my chest," he told KSTP in Minnesota Wednesday. "I know I had already been committed for a little bit, but just to be officially part of the school and the team is great."
Nnaji will play in the Iverson Roundball Classic as he wraps up his prep career before heading off to Tucson once the school year ends. The 6-foot-11 recruit has continued to develop over the course of senior season meaning the Wildcats are getting an even better player than what they saw in the summer before he gave the program his pledge.
He is everything UA's staff could want in a moldable four-man with his ability to hits shots from deep while also being able to play in the paint on both ends of the floor. His improvement this year didn't go unnoticed and helped him improve his stock.
"It's hard to see Nnaji's size, skill, mobility and ability to stretch the floor as a jump shooter and not believe he needs a bump," Rivals.com national analyst Eric Bossi wrote prior to moving Nnaji up the rankings. "Yes, he could still be more physical and aggressive, but the tools to one day play at the highest level are all there and, like Williamson, he's pushing hard for five-star status."
Arizona had no choice but to play smaller this season, but it will make a return to having a size advantage again in the upcoming season and Nnaji will be a part of that.
"Sean Miller leans heavily on his dual big-man lineups, so the enrollment of Zeke Nnaji would certainly boost the Wildcats this year," Rivals.com national analyst Corey Evans wrote of Nnaji during the season. "Nnaji, who is nearly 7-feet tall, has grown both physically and with his game in recent months, and he is one of the top frontline prospects in his class."
He is one of three incoming five-star recruits joining point guard Nico Mannion and wing Josh Green. Any elite point guard is going to want to have weapons around him and Nnaji is capable of being that for Mannion.
"I’ve heard he can really stretch the floor," Mannion previously said. "He’s a tough as nails matchup and I’ve heard he’s really easy to play with. He’s not high maintenance and it will be nice to have a four that can stretch the floor, play pick and pop."
The Wildcats currently have all five members of 2019's third-ranked recruiting class signed now, but UA continues to be on the lookout for other potential roster additions heading into the rest of the spring.
