Oregon considered favorite for 5-star Arizona target Kwame Evans Jr., per recruiting analyst

One of the top players in the 2023 recruiting class is announcing his commitment next week, and Arizona is among the five schools he’s expected to choose from.

But it’s not the Wildcats who are the favorite to land 5-star power forward Kwame Evans Jr., according to On3.com recruiting analyst Jamie Shaw. That would be Oregon, whom Shaw is giving a 55 percent chance of the No. 7 player in the country in 247Sports’ composite rankings.

“Oregon has been right in the thick of this recruitment since the start,” Shaw wrote. “Dana Altman zeroed in on Evans and has been right there each step. Including being—very noticeably—front and center for every one of Evans’ games at Peach Jam. Oregon has a plan for the unique nature of Evans’ game that checks the boxes for Evans and his group. There is also the Nike factor with Oregon, and Evans plays high school and travel ball for two high-powered Nike programs.”

Evans gives Arizona the second-best odds, at 25 percent, noting the Wildcats were “all the buzz in the May time frame. Evans spoke about the relationship he built with Tommy Lloyd, which played a huge factor. When he visited Arizona, Evans could see the Wildcats’ stylistic plan for him. He liked the idea of the stretch-four in Lloyd’s system, who could dribble, pass, and shoot.”

Evans took an official visit to Tucson in June, and he has also visited Oregon, Auburn, Kentucky and UCF. The 6-foot-10 forward, originally from Baltimore, plays for Florida prep powerhouse Monteverde Prep.

Arizona currently has one commitment for 2023, 4-star Texas guard KJ Lewis. 4-star shooting guard Kylan Boswell was part of the Wildcats’ 2023 class until he reclassified in July, joining the program for the 2022-23 season.