BYU Basketball Signs Atiki Ally Atiki
The signing period for college basketball started on Wednesday. On Friday, BYU signed Atiki Ally Atiki from Tanzania. Atiki committed to BYU in February over the likes of Oklahoma, and San Diego State. Here are three things to know about the newest member of the BYU basketball team.
1. Moved from Tanzania to in Canada in 2018
Atiki moved from Tanzania to Canada in November of 2018 to finish high school at the London Basketball Academy. According to JUCO advocate (the group responsible for finding Atiki in Tanzania), he would travel 45 minutes to train on a concrete basketball court in Tanzania.
2. 7'2 wingspan
Credit: Twitter @JUCOadvocate
Listed at 6'10, Atiki has a 7'2 wingspan. His wingspan is one of many physical attributes that make him an exciting prospect. With all due respect to other players that have committed to BYU, Atiki could be the most physically gifted big to commit to BYU in recent memory. It's important to remember that he is relatively new to the game of basketball and will need some time to develop his offensive game. However, the physical abilities are undeniable. Check out this sequence from practice where he takes one dribble beyond half court to dunk the ball, then he gets back on defense and blocks a shot off the backboard:
3. Committed to BYU over Oklahoma and San Diego State
Atiki held offers from San Diego State and Oklahoma before committing to BYU. It's unclear how many other offers Atiki held, but we know that he was also being courted by college basketball powers like Kansas, Baylor, and West Virginia.
Atiki joines Jake Wahlin and Fousseyni Traore as the third member of the 2021 recruiting class.
You probably noticed that our site looks a little different. It is currently under construction and the commenting capability is turned off. While we work on some exciting updates to improve your experience, you can ask us questions through one of our social media channels:
Facebook - @BYUSportsIllustrated
Twitter - @SI_BYU and Casey Lundquist at @casey_lundquist
Instagram - @BYU_SI