Arizona's pursuit of a power forward to help replace Keshad Johnson now appears to include Tennessee forward Tobe Awaka.
PHNX's Mike Luke reported on a podcast that he saw UA associate head coach Jack Murphy and Awaka at Culinary Dropout on Saturday while he and Wildcat Authority's Jason Scheer discussed UA's recruitment of power forwards.
Earlier this month, Arizona also hosted Oakland (Mich.) transfer forward Trey Townsend, who was given the Lou Henson Award as the the top mid-major player last season.
Awaka averaged 5.2 points and 4.6 rebounds off the bench last season but shot 59.1% and was an especially effective rebounder. He had an eye-opening offensive rebounding percentage of 17.9 and a defensive rebounding percentage of 20.0, collecting a fifth of opponents' missed shots when he was on the floor.
Upon announcing he was entering the transfer portal on April 9, Awaka thanked Tennessee players and coaches while saying his decision was "extremely difficult to make."
"The past two years have been some of the most influential of my life," Awaka posted. "The relationships I've gained and the experiences I've had will be forever life-changing."
Awaka has not ruled out returning to Tennessee. Though the Volunteers have been pursuing a stretch-four in the transfer portal, coach Rick Barnes indicated he would welcome Awaka back.
“Obviously, we all respect him and love him for what he did for us,” Barnes said, according to the Knoxville News-Sentinel. “But if he feels he’s got to go through the process, he needs to do it. With that said, we’re not waiting, because we’re going to move forward and build this roster as quickly as we can.”
Awaka has experience in McKale Center, collecting four points and two rebounds during a seven-minute appearance in the Wildcats' 75-70 win over Tennessee on Dec. 17, 2022.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats appeared to welcome a more familiar visitor to McKale for reasons unknown.
Kerr Kriisa posted an Instagram story with a photo taken from the left lane of I-10 approaching Picacho Peak towards Tucson, playing over the lyrics from the Chainsmokers' song "Closer."
The lyrics Kriisa posted:
"I forget just why I left you, I was insane
"Stay and play that Blink-182 song
"That we beat to death in Tucson, OK."
Kriisa, who transferred to West Virginia last spring but has since again entered the portal, was also spotted at McKale Center on Tuesday. He remains undecided on his next stop.
Arizona commit Joson Sanon wound up ranked No. 22 in ESPN's final Top 100 for the class of 2024, just three spots below incoming UA forward Carter Bryant, though he technically remains in the class of 2025.
Sanon remains likely to reclassify in order to play college basketball next season, but said on Twitter that he remains "committed to the University of Arizona in the class of 2025."
Just to clarify, although classing up to 2024 is an option, I remain committed to University of Arizona in the class of 2025 🐻⬇️ https://t.co/smOmf1aZ6J
— Joson Sanon (@joson_sanon) April 23, 2024
