Mouhamed Sylla's collegiate commitment has been a long time coming. The No. 1 center and a top-15 prospect in the class of 2025 has garnered a lot of attention as he has toured, visited, and spoken with some of the best college basketball programs in the country.
However, on Tuesday, Jan. 14, it was reported that Sylla would announce his commitment in just two days' time – on Thursday, Jan. 16.
Just under three weeks earlier, Sylla had shared his final three schools that were under consideration. The Oregon Ducks were among them, along with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Arkansas Razorbacks.
At 6-foot-10 and 240 pounds, Sylla already has the build of a collegiate center. For reference, Oregon's current starting big man, Nate Bittle, is 7-foot-0 and just 220 pounds.
“I love the coach over there, that is my guy. He is so funny, and I haven’t seen another coach with that much energy," Sylla has said of Dana Altman. "He texts me like every day, just asking how I’m doing. I’ve watched them play a few times, they’re pretty good. I like how they play their big man, they get him good looks and all. And they come to watch me, the head Coach (Dana) Altman is here with an assistant tonight.”
The Ducks are currently on a three-game winning streak in Big Ten play with impressive victories over the Maryland Terrapins, Ohio State Buckeyes, and Penn State Nittany Lions. The Razorbacks, in their first year under head coach John Calipari, have fallen to 7-6 overall and are currently standing in 11th place in the SEC.
Damon Stoudamire, a.k.a. Mighty Mouse, is the head coach of the Yellow Jackets and has led Georgia Tech to a 15-2 start to their season––the same overall record that Oregon head coach Altman and the Ducks currently possess.