After visiting Arizona this weekend for its 75-70 win over Tennessee, four-star 2023 guard Jamari Phillips committed to the Wildcats.
Phillips, a 6-foot-3 guard from Modesto (Calif.) Christian, is the Wildcats' first commit in the class of 2024. He was offered a scholarship on Nov. 6 and was scheduled to visit UA this weekend along with club-ball teammate Carter Bryant, a 2024 forward that UA offered a scholarship to in June.
After his visit, Phillips made a relatively quick decision to commit midway through his junior season but told On3 he chose Arizona because of a mutual fit.
“I believe in the coaching staff and they believe in me," Phillips told On3. "I can see myself going there and being really successful in that program. I know it’s going to feel like home.
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“When it’s my time to come in, I’m going to make the best of it and really go after it.”
I’m blessed to receive a offer from University of Arizona 💙 #Beardown🐻⬇️ pic.twitter.com/OCwbXbugmS
— Jamari “jiggy” Phillips (@iluvjamari) November 6, 2022
While Phillips is rated a four-star player, he had a number of high-major offers, including one from UCLA. In addition, 247 Sports has listed him as the No. 25 player in the class of 2024 and the No. 6 shooting guard.
After seeing Phillips play in October, 247 analyst Adam Finkelstein said he lived up to his reputation as a shooter while showing off other skills.
"There were a couple of high-level passes that stood out, while he also was a committed defender," Finkelstein wrote. "With good positional size in the backcourt and the ability to play both on and off the ball, he checked a lot of boxes."
Contact sports reporter Bruce Pascoe at bpascoe@tucson.com. On Twitter: @brucepascoe