Georgios Papagiannis, a 7-foot-1, 260-pound center playing for Greek club Panathinaikos, is still weighing whether or not to play for an American college next season, but is focusing on four schools, according to a report from Luke Winn of SI.com.
Papagiannis told SI.com he’s committed to making a decision soon—possibly by the July 5 conclusion of the U19s—but he hasn’t fully committed to the NCAAs. “There’s a chance I’ll stay here, and there’s a chance I’ll go there,” he said. “I have made a list with four schools: N.C. State, Kentucky, St. John’s and Oregon.”
Those college fanbases, as you can expect, are salivating over the idea of adding a potential one-and-done center. St. John’s would make up for the loss of shot-blocker Chris Obekpa, and add to an intriguing international recruiting class that already includes Italian point guard Federico Mussini and Spanish power forward Yankuba Sima. Kentucky would get a low-post presence to pair with potential 2016 No. 1 draft pick Skal Labissiere. N.C. State would get a more reliable low-block scorer to pair with point guard Cat Barber. And guard-and-wing rich Oregon, which has a projected starting lineup with no one taller than 6’7″, is desperate for a true center.
Winn also reports that Papagiannis is rooming at the FIBA U19 World Championship in Greece with Oregon commit Tyler Dorsey, who is working on bringing the big man to the Ducks.
“I’ve been talking to him every day about it,” Dorsey said. “I don’t know what he’s gonna do, but I tell him he could come in and play a key role. We need him. Another big is what we’re missing.”
Photo: SI.com
