Emmanuel Akot moves into Arizona's 2017 class

ByJEFF BORZELLO
May 22, 2017, 2:05 PM

— -- Five-star prospect Emmanuel Akot will graduate from high school early and enroll at Arizona next season, he announced Monday.

Akot originally committed to the Wildcats in March as a 2018 prospect.

"After much thought, my family and I have decided to join the 2017 class and become a member of the Arizona Basketball family next season," Akot wrote in a tweet.

A native of Canada, Akot attended Wasatch Academy in Utah. The 6-foot-6 wing is a versatile perimeter prospect who can handle the ball and create for others. He averaged 17.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game during the two April live periods for Exum Elite Utah Prospects on the Adidas Gauntlet circuit. Akot also shot 47.2 percent from 3-point range.

Akot was ranked No. 21 in the ESPN 60 for 2018, the No. 4 small forward in the class.

By reclassifying into 2017, Akot joins a recruiting class already ranked in the top five nationally. The highlight is No. 2 overall prospect DeAndre Ayton, but ESPN 100 prospects Brandon Randolph, Ira Lee and Alex Barcello are also in the fold. This will be the seventh straight season Sean Miller has recruited a top-seven class to Arizona.

Akot's decision comes less than 24 hours after freshman Rawle Alkins announced he was withdrawing from the NBA draft and returning to Tucson for his sophomore season. Sophomore star Allonzo Trier did the same last month.