Arizona added more international flavor to its 2020-21 roster when Turkish forward Tibet Gorener committed to the Wildcats on Monday night, according to 247 Sports.
Highlights of 4-star Turkish SF Tibet Gorener, who just committed to the Arizona Wildcats. (Via @ZachMilner13) pic.twitter.com/5i7lJzYURC
— The Wildcaster (@TheWildcaster) April 28, 2020
A 6-foot-8 combo forward with an outside shooting touch, Gorener chose Arizona over Creighton. Utah State, UConn, UC Santa Barbara and Nebraska have also shown interest.
"He's 6-8, long and a really gifted passer," said 247 analyst Josh Gershon. "He's gonna have to get stronger in order to improve defensively but one of the best things about him is he’s experienced at the international level."
Gershon said Gorener was particularly impressive while playing for Turkey's U18 team last summer in the U18 European Championships. In that event, Gorener averaged 8.3 points and 1.3 assists while shooting 50% overall and 35% from 3-point range.
For Arizona, Gorener could wind up playing a specialist role as a freshman, being a big target who could be a face-up four or possibly a small forward. Arizona has four other players for its two post spots, with French forward Daniel Batcho expected to join returnees Christian Koloko, Jordan Brown and Ira Lee.
To get Gorener, the Wildcats may have benefited from the temporary promotion of David Miller to assistant coach. Gershon said Miller came to know Gorener as a UCSB staffer while former UA associate head coach Joe Pasternack was recruiting Gorener for the Gauchos.
Gorener could not be reached for comment Monday night but told 247 Sports that he was attracted to Arizona's "European style" of play.
"They play with a very European style which me being from Europe is something I’m used to and enjoy," Gorener told 247. "I want to get to campus as soon as possible and start getting better."
Arizona now has 12 players lined up for next season, five of whom are from outside the United States: Gorener, forward Daniel Batcho (France), wing Bennedict Mathurin (Canada), guard Kerr Kriisa (Estonia) and center Christian Koloko (Cameroon).
Gorener and Koloko, however, attended some high school in Southern California. Still just 17 with a July birthday ahead, Gorener played for Orange (Calif.) Lutheran last season as a senior and played for Montverde Academy in 2018-19 as a junior.
Earlier Monday, Arizona wing target Kerwin Walton chose North Carolina over the Wildcats, Minnesota and three other teams. The Wildcats are believed to be interested in adding another big man to to fill out its 2020-21 roster, while the status of sophomore guard Brandon Williams remains uncertain.
Here's Arizona's men's basketball roster to date:
James Akinjo* Jr. G 6-0 180 Richmond, Calif.
Jemarl Baker Jr. G 6-4 200 Menifee, Calif.
Daniel Batcho Fr. 6-10 225 Paris
Jordan Brown So. F 6-11 210 Roseville, Calif.
Terrell Brown Sr. G 6-1 175 Seattle
Tibet Gorener Fr. F 6-8 195 Istanbul, Turkey
Christian Koloko So. C 7-0 215 Douala, Cameroon
Kerr Kriisa Fr. G 6-2 170 Tartu, Estonia
Ira Lee Sr. F 6-7 240 Los Angeles
Bennedict Mathurin Fr. F 6-6 190 Montreal
Dalen Terry Fr. G 6-6 190 Tempe
Brandon Williams** So. G 6-3 190 Los Angeles
* Will not be eligible until December 2020, unless he receives a waiver to play earlier.
**Tentative
