Mohamed Bamba is officially off the board.
Rated as the No. 2 high school basketball prospect in the Class of 2017, according to 247 Composite, Bamba is headed to the University of Texas to play under coach Shaka Smart.
Not only will the 7-foot, 216-pound power forward, with a 7-9 wingspan, be a program-changing recruit for Smart and the Longhorns, Bamba's choice, which he announced Thursday on The Players' Tribune, should also have college basketball fans in general excited and grateful.
Bamba chose Texas over Kentucky, which appeared to be the favorite throughout the majority of his recruitment. But instead of becoming the seventh, yes the seventh, five-star recruit in Kentucky's 2017 class — though Hamidou Diallo may remain in the NBA Draft this summer — he provided college basketball with another contender.
While Bamba's defense is ahead of his offense — as is the case with most 7-footers at this stage in their development — Bamba is more than just a rim protector and rebounder. He uses his long arms and wiry frame to create separation and hit mid-range jump shots, hook shots and body defenders in the paint.
With a little bit of coaching, Bamba could push for the No. 1 pick in next year's NBA Draft.
Texas will also introduce four-star forward Jericho Sims and four-star guard Matt Coleman, who played a major role in convincing Bamba to join him in Austin, Texas.
College basketball has become a mosh pit of graduate transfers, one-and-done recruits, late signings and constant coaching changes. The only thing most star players agree on is that they want to play for Kentucky or Duke.
Spreading the wealth, in this instance, will definitely benefit the sport as a whole. Bamba's presence will likely ignite Texas, while also showing other top recruits there are other schools out there besides Kentucky and Duke.
That's not a knock against Kentucky or Duke. They have no reason to turn down top-level players if the scholarships are available and the recruits are fine with sitting on the bench instead of starring at another program.
Yet, Bamba's choice still felt like a resounding win for college basketball. Hopefully, more top-level recruits will follow suit and spread the talent pool to different schools in years to come.
