Arizona transfer Daniel Batcho commits to Texas Tech

Former Arizona Wildcats big man Daniel Batcho is transferring to Texas Tech, he announced Thursday on Twitter.

The 6-foot-11 French forward underwent knee surgery in late October, and though he did return to practice in January, he never appeared in a game at Arizona.

Batcho entered the transfer portal in April after Arizona fired Sean Miller. He will have four years of eligibility and should be able to play immediately.

Batcho committed to Arizona last April, one of the many international players the Wildcats signed in the 2020 recruiting class. Before joining Arizona, he averaged 14.8 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game with CFBB Paris in last year’s Adidas Next Generation Tournament, earning MVP honors.

Miller believed Batcho could play both frontcourt positions at a high level.

“He’s aggressive,” Miller said last May. “He’s a very good defensive rebounder, adept at FIBA basketball where pick-and-roll and playing up and down, being able to defend pick-and-rolls, those are things that he’s been doing for a number of years. Hungry guy, a guy that loves the game. Really excited to have him.”