Five-star power forward Paolo Banchero adds Arizona to final list of schools

When Paolo Banchero created his final list of nine schools he'd choose from in September, the Arizona Wildcats were nowhere to be found. Fast forward to Saturday night, the five-star power forward said that he's adding UA to the finalists on his Twitter account. 

Arizona head coach Sean Miller reportedly offered Banchero a scholarship at some point on Saturday, per Stockrisers.com. 

The other schools in the running to land Banchero are Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Duke, Georgetown, Baylor, Memphis, Washington and Gonzaga. 

I will be adding the University of Arizona to my final list of schools❤️💙🐻⬇️

— Paolo (Paul-Oh)🇮🇹 (@Pp_doesit) April 5, 2020

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The 6-foot-9-inch, 235-pound Banchero is finishing his junior season at Seattle's O'Dea High School, and is rated as the top power forward for the 2021 recruiting class, per 247sports.com. Banchero is also considered the top prospect from Washington and the fourth-best prospect nationally. 

Unfortunately for Arizona, the coronavirus pandemic has put in-person recruiting on pause until further notice so it's unclear when Banchero will visit the UA campus. He officially visited North Carolina in September; Kentucky, Tennessee and Duke in October, along with Gonzaga in January. 

Banchero, whose father hails from Italy, considered reclassifying to 2020, but will return for O'Dea for another season. Banchero averaged 23 points and 11 rebounds per game in 2020, leading O'Dea to a Class 3A state championship. Banchero earned Metro League Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year honors.