Three-star 7-foot center Christian Koloko of Cameroon committed to play for Arizona at the end of his official visit to Tucson this weekend.
Extremely excited to announce that I’m committed to the university of Arizona . I’d like to thanks all my coaches and my family for helping me . 🐻⬇️ pic.twitter.com/LAQ4QXM4SW
— ✗ KOLOKO JUNIOR (@kolokojunior1) September 23, 2018
He becomes the second member of Arizona's 2019 recruiting class, after five-star guard Nico Mannion committed on Sept. 14.
Koloko told 247 that he chose Arizona because of his relationship with the coaching staff and a belief they can help him develop.
"I think that’s a great fit for me because I think their coaching staff, they trust me, they believe in me and I think you have to go somewhere where the coaches want you," Koloko told 247. "I think they want me and I think they can help me get better and get to the next level. That’s why I chose Arizona."
Koloko, now playing at California’s Sierra Canyon School, is a 195-pound 7-footer who showed long-term potential while playing for the well-regarded Oakland Soldiers travel team last summer. He moved from Cameroon to Southern California in 2017 and spent his junior year of high school playing with UA freshman Devonaire Doutrive at Birmingham High School, before transferring to Sierra Canyon for this season.
Koloko told the Star in July he had not been thinking about his recruitment much but that Doutrive had spoken to him about Arizona.
“He said Arizona is a good school, it’s a good thing,” Koloko said.
Koloko’s sister, Stephanie, said on Thursday that her brother had not scheduled any other official visits even though he had a number of high-major offers, including ones from Cal, Harvard, Stanford, Vanderbilt, USC and UCLA.
In an interview with the Star in Las Vegas last July, Koloko said he didn’t know any English before enrolling at Birmingham High School last year but picked it up while earning a 3.8 grade point average.
“My first week of classes was pretty hard because I wasn’t speaking English,” Koloko said. “Even the system is very difficult.”
But after having played soccer as a youth and then basketball starting at age 12, Koloko became intrigued about playing the game in the United States. Stephanie Koloko already lived in Southern California, having attended Cal State Fullerton and gaining an MBA.
“My sister was there (in California) so she said I can come play and go to school,” Koloko said. “My dad was like `OK.’ I want to get better. That’s why I came here.”
Koloko's parents flew in from Cameroon on Thursday to make the visit with him, Stephanie Koloko said.
Arizona will have at least four scholarship openings for 2019-20 plus any that open up from other departures next spring.
