Arizona has reached over the Atlantic for some size and versatility in its 2018 recruiting class, receiving a commitment Sunday from Belgian forward Omar Thielemans.
The 6-foot-7, 200-pound forward announced his decision on Twitter after visiting Tucson over the weekend along with Pitt grad transfer Ryan Luther.
Thielemans was also considering offers from Colorado State, Drake, Maine, Stanford and UAB. While Thielemans could not be reached for comment, he told 247Sports his visit to Arizona was “crazy” in a good way.
“I didn’t expect the campus to be so big,” Thielemans told 247Sports. “The coaching staff impressed me with strength and conditioning. The players were very welcoming. After the first day I was really convinced, but after the second day I made my decision.”
Because he plays in the European club system, Thielemans is largely off the radar to U.S. recruiting websites. But 247Sports reported that he’s a versatile athlete “with good size, long arms, high level vision, ball skills, plus body control and a high upside.”
Thielemans is still only 18, and he told 247Sports that he told his Belgian club he wanted to play in college and that playing at a high-level program could help him reach his dream of playing in the NBA.
Thielemans said he can play shooting guard, small forward and power forward, while the UA needs the most help up front. The Wildcats return forwards Emmanuel Akot and Ira Lee, while junior Chase Jeter will be coming off a redshirt year .
Arizona has eight players overall lined up for 2018-19 so far, with five scholarships still open. The Wildcats also signed Southern California guard Devonaire Doutrive to a letter-of-intent last Wednesday, when the spring signing period opened.
Rim shots
Departing Wildcats senior center Dusan Ristic averaged 9.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while shooting 50 percent over three games in the seniors-only Portsmouth Invitational pre-draft tournament that ended Saturday.
- Former Arizona commit Brandon Williams took an official visit to Oregon over the weekend and posted a photo on Twitter of himself shooting while wearing a Ducks uniform. Williams decommitted from the Wildcats on March 2, but is still considering Arizona.
