By ADAM ZAGORIA
Giorgi Bezhanishvili, the 6-foot-10 forward from The Patrick School (N.J.), committed to Illinois during his official visit on Monday night, Celtics coach Chris Chavannes told ZAGSBLOG.
He joins point guard Ayo Dosunmu in coach Brad Underwood’s 2018 class.
A native of Austria, Bezhanishvili took the visit with his mother, who visited from the European nation.
“He’s an amazing person who I believe will do very well in college due to his level, skill set, IQ, and physicality that he already currently possesses,” NY Jayhawks director Jay David said.
A skilled face-up four man who runs with the NY Jayhawks AAU program, Bezhanishvili is the second Patrick School big man to commit to a Division 1 school in recent days. Valdir Manuel chose Seton Hall on Friday.
Last year, the Patrick School sent six players to D-1 programs: Jordan Walker (Seton Hall), Nick Richards (Kentucky), Jamir Harris (Minnesota), Marcus McClary (Monmouth), Buay Koka and Bul Ajang (Tulane).
The commitment comes as several Illinois players have announced they will transfer, including redshirt junior Michael Finke and sophomore guard Te’Jon Lucas, who both announced their plans Monday. Freshman Mark Smith will also transfer, while Leron Black opted to turn pro.
Von 2012 – 2016 in unserer Talenteschmiede. Gestern legte er 20 Pkte für die @bk_dukes in der @ABL_Basketball auf! Giorgi #Bezhanishvili! ? pic.twitter.com/82T4t76u7g
— Basket Flames (@BasketFlames) January 6, 2017
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