Arizona basketball recruiting: Taeshon Cherry to commit Friday, Wildcats among six finalists

The Arizona Wildcats have two commits in their 2018 recruiting class, but Friday they may add a third.

That’s the day four-star forward Taeshon Cherry will choose a school, he announced recently.

The St. Augustine High School (San Diego, Calif.) product is considering six schools: Arizona, Oregon, Texas A&M, USC, Gonzaga, and San Diego State.

Cherry, 6-foot-8, 210 pounds, is the No. 40 player in his class and No. 15 power forward, per 247Sports.

It’s not clear who the favorite is to land him, as only two predictions have been made in 247Sports’ Crystal Ball. One has Cherry going to USC and the other has him picking Florida State, which isn’t even in his final six.

According to Scout.com, Cherry’s strengths are his 3-point shooting, motor, and versatility. His weakness is dribbling versus pressure.

“Taeshon Cherry is an extremely versatile forward that will likely be able to play the three and four at the next level,” his scouting report on Scout.com reads.

“He can hit three-pointers, grab rebounds and push the break, is a very good passer, blocks shots and plays hard. He's a competitive and tough kid who can succeed in multiple styles of play. He'll need to improve handling against pressure and become a better perimeter defender, but he's one of the more versatile and talented players on the west in 2018.”

Should Cherry join Arizona, his versatility would surely be put to use as the Wildcats already have 6-foot-9 forward Shareef O’Neal in their 2018 class, plus Ira Lee, a 6-foot-8 combo forward, will be a sophomore in the 2018-19 season.

At the same time, Cherry, O’Neal, and Lee could wind up being a logjam, which may factor into Cherry’s decision.

Arizona point guard commit Brandon Williams may influence Cherry’s decision, too.

“I talked to Taeshon (Cherry) and we both are thinking about going to the same school together, and we just think it’s a good fit,” the 2018 prospect said (via Matt Moreno). “We both like our playing styles together and we could be deadly. So it’s something to think about.”

Dusan Ristic, Parker Jackson-Cartwright, and Talbott Denny are set to graduate after the 2017-18 season, and Allonzo Trier, DeAndre Ayton, and Rawle Alkins are likely headed for the NBA, so the Wildcats should be able to sign at least six recruits in their 2018 class.

So far, they have commitments from four-star prospects O’Neal and Williams. Emmanuel Akot, once a 2018 commit, reclassified to 2017 and will be on Arizona’s roster in the upcoming season.

Here are some highlights from Cherry’s junior year:

Follow Ryan Kelapire on Twitter at @RKelapire