BYU Basketball: Three Things to Know About Atiki Ally Atiki
Reports surfaced on Monday night that BYU basketball had landed a major commitment from Atiki Ally Atiki. Atiki had narrowed his list of schools down to BYU, Oklahoma, and San Diego State before committing to Mark Pope and BYU. Here are three things to know about the newest BYU basketball commit.
Credit: Twitter @JUCOadvocate
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
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.
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