NCAA Men: White, Kiir, Pupavac and Zunic make their commitments
The NCAA signing period opened on April 12th and already four Aussies have made their commitments official.
We take a quick look at Isaac White who committed to Stanford, Mayan Kiir who signed with LSU, and Tom Pupavac and Kyle Zunic who are set to join Winthrop.
Isaac WHITE | Stanford
The South Australian guard has officially committed to Stanford and tops off a four player coup that is widely regarded as a top 15 nation-wide recruiting class. The point guard recently led his state to a break-through 2017 U20 National Championship victory. White possesses a highly effective scoring ability, highlighted by his tournament leading 20.6 points per game at the national champs.
The 6’1 guard has also represented Australia at the Albert Schweitzer tournament and FIBA Oceania Championships. White chose Stanford over the University of Hawaii and Boise State, telling Fox Sports “I have an opportunity to come in and, if I earn it, I can play as a freshman. The sky’s the limit, that’s how they described it, but I just have to earn every minute.”
https://twitter.com/StanfordMBB/status/852320902599417856
Mayan KIIR | LSU
Kiir had previously announced his commitment to VCU in last year’s early signing period, however had gained a release to seek alternative options. The 6’10 power forward had originally considered LSU before deciding on VCU in the first instance. However in March, it was announced that VCU coach Will Wade had signed a six-year deal to become the head coach of LSU. The opening of the NCAA signing period sees Kiir follow Coach Wade to Baton Rouge to play for the Tigers.
https://twitter.com/LSUBasketball/status/852522068985995264
Originally hailing from Melbourne, Kiir moved to Florida to play high school ball at Victory Rock Prep, which is the same school that Deng Adel attended. Kiir is ranked as the #95 prospect in the class of 2017 by ESPN and is considered a four star prospect by some media outlets.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BS2f2xDjeBy/?taken-by=official_mayanloco&hl=en
Kyle ZUNIC & Tom PUPAVAC | Winthrop
Pupavac announced his commitment to the Eagles late last year while Kyle Zunic has become the latest Aussie to sign with Winthrop. Zunic and Pupavac will join fellow Aussie Xavier Cooks, who is entering his senior year with the Eagles.
https://twitter.com/WUEagles/status/852938941254815745
Zunic is attending the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence (CoE), player under head coach Adam Caporn. The 6’2 guard has represented the Australian national team on multiple occasions and most recently at the U19 FIBA Oceania Qualifiers. Zunic recently competed at the U20 National Championships where he averaged 8.88 point per game, which included an 18 point performance against Victoria. He is currently playing in the SEABL with the CoE.
Pupavac is a Geelong Supercats product, with the 6’10 center possessing versatility and skill for a player of his position. He chose Winthrop over CS Fullerton, Elon University and Montana State. The big man was also included in the 18 man squad for the U19 FIBA Oceania Qualifiers but did not make the final cut.
Both players will be great additions to an Eagles team looking to return to the NCAA Tournament in 2018.