DeAndre Ayton: Choosing Arizona ‘was my mom’s decision, mainly’

Back in September, DeAndre Ayton — then the No. 1 player in the class of 2017 — committed to the University of Arizona Wildcats.

Recruited by most of the top schools in the country, Ayton chose Arizona over fellow finalists Kansas and Kentucky, and in the process gave UA coach Sean Miller the crown jewel of his 2017 recruiting class.

Since then the 7-foot, 243-pound Ayton’s spot in the recruiting rankings has fluctuated a bit, though there is no dispute that he is one of the most impressive and intriguing players in the country.

But while he may be one of the best prospects and, next year, one of the best players in all of college basketball, he Ayton said his recruiting was not a situation where he was receiving offers from every school with a basketball program.

“To be honest, everybody wasn’t calling,” Ayton told Kevin McCabe on AZ Preps Live on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Saturday. “Everybody thought I was going overseas, and with me, junior year, I just got tired of everybody saying I’m going overseas.”

Because of that, Ayton said he decided to make a list of his top eight college choices — having not so much as spoken to the coaches or visited the schools — and posted it.

“UCLA, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Arizona — I think San Diego State, Maryland,” Ayton recalled. He remembered his list going viral, and from that point his recruitment started to pick up.

Ayton said Kansas was the school that showed “a lot of love to me,” but that he and his mother took just two visits: one to Lawrence, and the other to Tucson.

“It was my mom’s decision, mainly,” he said.

Folks in Tucson should maybe send a thank you note to Andrea Ayton. Statistics are somewhat difficult to come by, but according to RealGM he averaged 17.4 points, 11 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals in five games during the 2016 adidas Nations Tournament.

Ayton’s team won the tournament, by the way.

“You know DeAndre, I’m not going to sugarcoat it, he’s one of these once-in-a-generation types of players,” Miller said back in November, after Ayton signed his letter of intent. “The fact that he hasn’t lifted weights is astonishing to me because when you look at him, when you shake his hand, he has a physical presence, as a young person, that you don’t often times see.”

Miller also praised Ayton’s basketball smarts as well as his love of the game and competitive nature.

“I think his future, obviously, is incredibly bright and we’re all looking forward to providing him an environment where he can grow, but also where he can give us and give our team and give the recruiting class he’s a part of that special player that can go inside and out,” he said.

According to ESPN’s scouting report, “there is no one in the country in the senior class with Ayton’s physical tools and skill.”

He is simply a game changer and impact player. If his energy and enthusiasm can stay constant and his approach to the game goes from the inside-out versus outside-in he will dominate the game and the outcome of the game on a consistent basis.

Ayton said in terms of his style, he is more of a face-up player but always gets double-teamed in high school.

“So you won’t see much of that; probably see a transition three here and there,” he said.

Though he is a big man, Ayton said a comparison to Arizona freshman Lauri Markkanen, who at 7 feet tall also stretched out to the three-point line, is “on point.”

If that’s not enough, the McDonald’s All-American is seen as the kind of player who could, just maybe, be part of the team that finally gets Arizona back to the NCAA Tournament’s third weekend, where it has not been since 2001.

Ayton said he watched Arizona’s Sweet 16 loss to Xavier last Thursday, noting it’s tough because he thought the Wildcats were going to go all the way. Instead, now he will be part of the next iteration of the Wildcats, who with a top-five recruiting class will once again provide hope that the Final Four drought could come to an end.

One of the players who will be joining Ayton in Tucson is guard Alex Barcello, who played for Corona Del Sol High School in Tempe and is seen as a four-star recruit. Ayton said he has spoken to the 6-foot-2, 175-pound Barcello a few times and also seen him play.

“He can shoot the ball, he can shoot the heck out of the ball, and he’s pretty smart,” was his analysis. “And he’s pretty big for his size, as well.”

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