KU, Mizzou join Kentucky and others on the recruiting list of elite big man Adem Bona
Kansas, which has already received an oral commitment from highly regarded Prolific Prep senior basketball guard/forward MJ Rice, is one of the contenders to land Adem Bona, Rice’s 6-10, 225-pound teammate at the Napa, California school.
Bona, who hails from Nigeria, tells Zagsblog.com and 247sports.com he’s considering Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Baylor, UCLA, Creighton, BYU, Notre Dame, USC and others.
He did cancel a trip to Kentucky for this upcoming weekend, informing Zagsblog.com he’d likely reschedule for the Wildcats’ Big Blue Madness event on Oct. 15 in Lexington, Kentucky.
Bona is ranked No. 7 nationally in the recruiting Class of 2022 by 247sports.com, No. 13 by ESPN.com and No. 33 by Rivals.com. Rice, his teammate, is ranked No. 15 nationally by ESPN.com, No. 23 by Rivals.com and No. 26 by 247sports.com.
Bona — he ranked first in rebounds per game in the EYBL AAU league this summer (11.0) and was in second in blocks per contest (4.0) for Team Why Not — averaged 12.0 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks while hitting 25 of 32 shots (78..1%) at the prestigious Peach Jam in South Carolina.
Bona scored 15 points, grabbed 19 rebounds and blocked eight shots in a 71-69 loss to Nightrydas at Peach Jam.
“Kansas has been one of the top colleges for the past years in the NCAA. They’ve put so many bigs in the league like Joel Embiid and Udoka Azubuike. They are bigs just like me. They started basketball late, they played high school, went to Kansas and improved their basketball skills. And I feel like Kansas is going to prepare me well for the pros,” Bona told Zagsblog.com.
Of Bona, Travis Branham of 247sports.com said: “He’s extremely athletic for a big man. He’s one of the most mobile bigs with is ability to run the floor. He’s explosive, plays with a motor, is physical in the paint and a dunker-spot type big man. His offensive skill set has to improve but his defensive ability is in the top tier of the class. He’s at a very high level defensively.”
Bona was born in Nigeria, homeland of recent KU grad/Utah Jazz center Udoka Azubuike, then moved to Turkey when he was 14.
Bona has long been a fan of former Kentucky big man Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat. However, Kentucky also is recruiting center Dereck Lively, a 6-11, 200-pound senior center rom Westtown (Pennsylvania) School ranked No. 3 in the Class of 2022 by Rivals.com.
“I’m looking for a school that is going to let me be myself in the game, not a school that is going to force me to go to the post all the time,” Bona told 247Sports.com in June. “I’d like to do my thing and move around and make use of my speed and athleticism and not just post. So, I’m looking for a style of play that involves a lot of movement. That’s one of my best assets, moving quick and I can use that against guys my size.”
Of Bona, 247sports.com analyst Bossi said: “An emphatic dunker and rim protector who can really run the floor, Bona plays the game with passion and has a large personality off the court. When he first made his way to Prolific Prep, most assumed he would eventually be heading some sort of professional route. However, college is looking more and more likely for Bona.”
Memphis strikes it rich in recruiting
Memphis likely assured itself a preseason Top 10 national ranking for the upcoming 2021-22 season Wednesday after receiving a commitment from Emoni Bates, a 6-9, 200-pound forward from Ypsilanti, Michigan, who is ranked No. 3 in the recruiting Class of 2021 by ESPN.com, No. 4 by Rivals.com and No. 5 by 247sports.com. He chose Memphis over Oregon, Michigan State and the NBA G League.
The player who once was committed to Michigan State recently switched from the recruiting Class of 2022 to 2021.
On Aug. 6, Memphis received a similar commitment from Jalen Duren, a 6-10, 240-pound forward from Montverde (Florida) Academy ranked No. 3 by Rivals.com, No. 4 by 247sports.com and No. 7 by ESPN.com. Duren also made the late move from the Class of 2022 to 2021.
Former KU head coach Larry Brown, recently named a full-time assistant at Memphis, and Tigers head coach Penny Hardaway, also will be coaching members of a freshman class that includes Josh Minott, a 6-8 small forward ranked No. 32 by Rivals.com; Sam Ayomide Onu, a 6-11 forward ranked No. 106 by Rivals.com and Johnathan Lawson, a 6-6 forward ranked No. 113 by Rivals.com. He’s the brother of former KU forwards Dedric Lawson and K.J. Lawson. Memphis also is bringing in three transfers : Earl Timberlake (Miami), Tyler Harris (Iowa State) and Chandler Lawson (Oregon). Chandler is brother of Johnathan Lawson.
“Bates is considered one of the most gifted offensive players in the game,” ESPN.com recruiting director Paul Biancardi said Wednesday. “Agile and explosive with positional size and high-level shot-making talent from anywhere, he has an elusive dribble and will be great in transition, isolations, pull-up jumpers and spot-up threes, as well as playing out of second-side ball-screen actions.
“Bates brings a competitiveness but must continue to mature. As most college freshmen experience, there is much to learn on the defensive side of the court. He had demonstrated the ability to function well with Jalen Duren from their weekend together on the circuit with Team Final AAU. Duren and Bates could be one of the most lethal combinations in college basketball this season,” Biancardi added.
This story was originally published August 26, 2021 at 6:39 AM with the headline "KU, Mizzou join Kentucky and others on the recruiting list of elite big man Adem Bona."
