After leading Westchester to a CIF City Section Open Division title, five-star small forward Tajh Ariza is now transferring to St. John Bosco. As he prepares for his transfer and playing in the Nike EYBL Circuit, he is also entertaining several college offers, including one from Big Ten school, Oregon.
On Monday, it was revealed that Tajh Ariza has now scheduled his official visit to Eugene.
His official visit to Oregon is scheduled for September 6, and this will be his first official visit to any school that is trying to recruit him. The son of former NBA champion Trevor Ariza is entertaining several college offers, including ones from Kentucky, USC, Arkansas, and Kansas. He previously had an unofficial visit to USC.
The 6'8 small forward is ranked No. 8 overall by On3, and the No. 3 small forward and the No. 5 player in California, according to the On3 Industry Rankings.
In a May 18 interview with On3, the young Ariza stated that he is already planning to officially visit the schools he is interested in around fall. However, he admitted that he still has no set time when he will make his commitment decision.
“I don’t really have a set time for a commitment or any of that,” Tajh Ariza told On3. “I’m just weighing all of my options. It’s not going to happen for a little while still. I’m weighing out my options and seeing what I have.”
As for which schools have been consistent in reaching out to him, Tajh Ariza admitted that Kentucky's Mark Pope and Jason Hart are the most aggressive in trying to recruit him.
“[Mark] Pope and Jason Hart talk to me every other day,” he said. “They had a pretty good year considering they’re new to that environment. They did pretty well and made it to the tournament. They’re only going to get better.”
Oregon now the frontrunner in recruiting Tajh Ariza
Despite his admission that Kentucky head coach Mark Pope and assistant Jason Hart have been reaching out to him daily, On3 considers the Oregon Ducks as the favorite to land Tajh. The fact that he chose Oregon as his first official visit may have been a factor.
The Ducks currently have a 63.4% chance of recruiting Tajh after the official visit announcement, with USC in second place with a 19.7% chance due to that one unofficial visit. Mark Pope and Kentucky are in a tie for third at a 1.3% chance.