N’Faly Dante Commits to Oregon Basketball

N’Faly Dante is reclassifying from the Class of 2020 to join the loaded 2019 Oregon recruiting class. The 6’11”, 230 pound center is ranked the 13th best player in the recently updated ESPN100. Francis Okoro was the only true big man on the roster before Dante’s commitment. Dante chose Oregon over programs like Kansas, Kentucky, LSU, Tennessee, St. John’s, Oklahoma State, and more.

Dante, who played his high school ball at Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas, announced his decision via The Player’s Tribune in a well-written and thoughtful letter to his mother. His mom is back in his home country of Mali.

N’Faly is Oregon’s third highest ranked commit in the program’s history behind Bol Bol and Malik Hairston. Dana Altman continues to prove how strong of a recruiter he really is. The highly-touted recruit stands out as a rebounder and defender but will need to continue to work on his body and skill-set.

This commit should put Oregon basketball at the top of the PAC-12 preseason rankings right behind Washington and Arizona, especially with the Wildcats’ recent loss of Brandon Williams to a season-ending injury.

Okoro should still be favored to get the starting job. This commitment takes a lot of pressure off of Francis as he is no longer the only player available to play the 5 position. Oregon’s frontcourt is going to be a lot to handle and hard to attack on the offensive side for opposing teams.

*Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area... Follow him on Twitter @a_cravalho