Ndudi Ebi No. 2 basketball recruit in the nation

No. 2-rated Ebi chooses Arizona over Duke, Indiana and Texas

Ndudi Ebi, ranked by Fox Sports as the No. 2 player in the country, orally committed to play for the Arizona basketball team yesterday, giving UA a promising start to the early fall recruiting season.

The 6-foot-10 small forward out of Westbury Christian High School in Houston picked the Wildcats over Duke, Texas, Indiana and the University of Houston.

"It was one of the biggest press conferences in the state of Texas because every TV station was here," said Hal Pastner, who coached Ebi in AAU for five years and is also the father of UA assistant basketball coach Josh Pastner. "Everyone didn't know where he was going."

Even his parents were clueless as to which school their son would pick when he lined up four hats in front of him during a press conference in his high school gym yesterday ÷ then he chose Arizona.

"We let him make his own decision and would support him wherever he went," said Godwin Ebi, his father. "We're very happy because we realized Arizona is a very good school and I want him to go there and win."

Arizona and Duke pursued the shot-blocker the most. Blue Devil head coach Mike Krzyzewski and assistant coach Steve Wojciechowski flew to Texas and met with Ebi privately for an hour on Tuesday. But Ebi had other ideas.

Ebi's commitment with UA is non-binding until he signs a national letter-of-intent in early November. The Arizona coaching staff is not allowed to comment until he officially signs his letter-of-intent.

Head coach Lute Olson was the first collegiate coach to attend one of Ebi's high school games last year. Olson kept in touch with the forward and followed him during Nike Camp and AAU National Showcase games throughout the summer.

On the first official day coaches could meet players at home, Olson was in Houston to push Ebi to the decision.

Hal Pastner has coached Ebi's AAU team since seventh grade. His inside and outside games are equally strong but his main strength is his leaping ability, Pastner said.

Last year as a junior at Westbury Christian, Ebi averaged 23 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks and five assists to lead his squad to the Texas 3A state finals.

He's the No. 1 forward according to The Sporting News and No. 4 in HoopScoop. He's also rated as the best player in the state by Texas Hoops.

"He's a nice kid with good parents and a great family. He's very intelligent and is dedicated to the game," Hal Pastner said.

Ebi will most likely alternate between power and strong forward for the Wildcats.

Arizona is still waiting to hear from three other top recruits: 6-foot-11 David Padgett, 7-footer Brian Butch, and point guard Mustafa Shakur.

All three players are ranked in the top 20 in the nation.