Five-star center Bol Bol verbally committed to Oregon basketball on Monday. The 7-foot-2 son of the former NBA player, Manute, is the No. 1 ranked center nationally. He was deciding between Kentucky and the Ducks.

With his verbal designation to Oregon, Bol Bol is the highest-ranked commit in program history. The No. 4 overall prospect from the 2018 class supersedes Oregon’s previous highest-ranked commit with No. 7 Malik Hairston from the 2004 class.

UO basketball continues down their elite path with another national commitment. Bol Bol joins the freshly-signed four-star guard Will Richardson, alongside five-star Louis King and four-star Miles Norris.

Oregon now possesses the No. 1 recruiting class in the country for 2018. They could surpass the 2004 UO recruiting class, headlined by Malik Hairston, as the greatest in program history.

A handful of elite programs were chasing the 225-pounder over the recruiting process. Kansas, Arizona, UCLA, USC and Creighton highlighted his top offers.

This is arguably the biggest signing in Oregon basketball history. The upside potential of this move is limitless. Not to mention, the Ducks are already loaded with future talent on their current roster.

According to ESPN, Bol Bol is the No. 4 overall player in the nation with an incredible scouting grade of 95. He is ESPN’s No. 1 player at his position for the region, the state and the country. His ESPN 100 rank is pictured below.

Photo courtesy of ESPN 100

Bol Bol has now spent time with two elite high school programs after transferring from Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) to Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nevada) earlier this month. The latter was the same prep school that Dillon Brooks attended before Oregon.

With the addition of an imposing defender like Bol Bol, the championship pieces will be in place. If everyone stays healthy and certain players return, the 2018 roster could be the most talented team in the country on paper. Yet, titles are won on the hardwood.

Head coach Dana Altman is as excited as he can be at this moment. He understands better than most, without a healthy interior presence, you have to work a lot harder on the perimeter. Oregon’s lead man would rather work smarter, not harder.

Following Canadian star R.J. Barrett signing with Duke, the Oregon Empire strikes back.

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