Following the departure of Oumar Ballo, Tommy Lloyd and Co. have been working on re-bolstering Arizona’s post size. On Monday, they did just that, as Tennessee transfer forward Tobe Awaka announced his commitment to the Arizona Wildcats.
Awaka, a 6’8, 250-pound forward quickly made a name for himself as a hard-nosed, tough rebounder during his time in Knoxville. While he did not start any games, he did appear in 69 games over the last two seasons. He averaged 4.2 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 59.1 percent from the floor. Last season, Awaka averaged 5.1 points and 4.6 rebounds in 13.1 minutes per game.
Prior to arriving in Rocky Top, the Hyde Park, New York native was a three-star prospect and ranked in the top 300 recruits in the 2022 class, per 247Sports Composite Ratings. He was also the 2022 New York Gatorade Player of the Year.
Awaka also spent the summer of 2023 with Team USA as a member of U19 team in the FIBA Men’s U19 World Cup in Debrecen, Hungary. Through seven games, he averaged 11.6 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. He was one of only three players in the tournament to average a double-double, and his four double-doubles led all players. Former Arizona point guard Kylan Boswell, who transferred to Illinois this offseason, was also a member of the roster.
Tobe Awaka will join a front-court led by rising-sophomore Motiejus Krivas and Oakland transfer Trey Townsend, who announced his commitment to the Arizona last week. Henri Veesaar is also set to return after medically redshirting last season for the Wildcats.