Rondae Jefferson committed to the Arizona Wildcats during Sean Miller's in-home visit on Thursday, according to Fox's Evan Daniels. The biggest part of the signing is Jefferson's position and skillset, which gives the Wildcats an immediate replacement for graduating wings Solomon Hill and Kevin Parrom after this season.
Jefferson announced the news shortly after on Twitter.
Arizona it is #BearDown
— Rondae Jefferson(@RondaeJ23) September 13, 2012
The 6-foot-7, 215 pound forward out of Chester High School in Chester, Pa., is ranked by ESPN as the 14th-best prospect in his class and is the third-best small forward, according to Scout.com
Per ESPN's scouting report:
Jefferson finishes well at the rim, goes right into contact, and will even post smaller defenders. He is equally valuable defensively, using his length, lateral quickness, physical strength, and high motor to defend multiple positions.
Jefferson will replace Hill and Parrom as players who can rebound the ball before pressing the defense by pushing the ball up the court himself. An adept passer and ball handler to boot, Jefferson's only weakness comes in the form of his jump shot, something that Hill similarly lacked as a freshman and sophomore.
The word on the street was that the Wildcats could grab a commitment during their visit today. CBS Sports' Jeff Borzello and Daniels both alluded to the news on Thursday afternoon. The commitment comes after Jefferson visited Tucson this weekend (thanks football team).
[RELATED: Adam Zagoria talks to Rob Brown, Jefferson's AAU coach]
Jefferson joins Elliott Pitts in the Wildcats 2013 class, and he represents the first significant wing recruit by Miller while at Arizona. Hill and Parrom have held down the spots throughout their tenures at UA.
Despite having an impressive big man class in 2012, Miller will still chase after highly-coveted Aaron Gordon moving forward.
Below, check out the uncut game film of Rondae Jefferson brought to you by The Basketball Diary.
What do you think of the verbal commitment?
And here's a look at the ESPN top-15 players in their ESPN 100 for the 2013 class.