French big Daniel Batcho commits to Arizona men’s basketball

Arizona men’s basketball has received a commitment from Daniel Batcho, an 18-year-old big from France, according to ESPN.

Batcho, listed at 6-foot-10 and 225 pounds, was named MVP of the Adidas Next Generation Tournament in Belgrade in February after putting up 24 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks in the championship game.

In 2018 he was one of the more impactful players in the U16 European Championship, during which he was second in player efficiency. However, he suffered a fractured knee-cap in the quarterfinals, which he rehabbed during the entire 2018-19 season.

This past season, Batcho played 18 games in the French third division of the Centre Fédéral de Basketball. In about 24 minutes per game, he averaged nine points and 6.3 rebounds, 0.8 blocks and 0.4 steals, according to ProBallers.

Former NBA players including Tony Parker and Boris Diaw played in the CFBB, as did current Detroit Pistons forward Sekou Doumbouya.

Givony writes:

Batcho was considered the top graduating player from the Parisian Academy and would have had his pick of teams in French professional basketball.

…

He does most of his damage around the basket, where he embraces contact and has a soft touch and reliable hands that allow him to catch everything thrown his way.

He also called Batcho a good passer and decision-maker.

Batcho chose Arizona over at least five other offers, including Arizona State, according to 247Sports.

He is the fourth Arizona commitment in the 2020 class and the third international player. He joins four-star point guard/small forward Dalen Terry of Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix, small forward Bennedict Mathurin from the NBA Academy Latin America and point guard Kerr Kriisa of Estonia.

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