NORMAN – Oklahoma men's basketball head coach Lon Kruger announced an addition to the Sooners' highly-anticipated 2019 recruiting class in the signing of forward Anyang Garang (pronounced on-YUNG guh-RANG).
A 6-8, 190-pound forward out of Adelaide, Australia, Garang will join Oklahoma from the NBA Global Academy in Canberra, Australia.
"Anyang is a terrific young guy with huge upside," said Kruger. "In terms of basketball, he's long, athletic and very versatile wing player who shoots the ball well from the perimeter. He'll fit in extremely well."
Garang has been a member of the NBA Global Academy since 2017 and is the fifth graduate from the academy and the 11th NBA Academies graduate overall to commit to an NCAA Division I school. Since October 2016, seven NBA Academies have been launched across Australia, China, India, Mexico and Senegal to provide educational and player development for top male and female prospects from outside the U.S, with the NBA Global Academy serving as the hub for the program's top prospects.
“Anyang is an exceptional player and leader who worked extremely hard to earn the opportunity to play at the next level and receive a college education," said Marty Clarke, the technical director of the NBA Global Academy. "As a multi-dimensional wing who can stretch the floor and guard across positions, Anyang's athleticism and skillset will put him in a position to make an immediate impact on the University of Oklahoma's basketball program. Anyang is a trailblazer for the NBA Academies program and we look forward to following the next step of his basketball journey.”
Garang has taken part in multiple international camps and showcases around the United States and the world. In 2018, he participated in Basketball Without Borders Global Camp in Los Angeles during NBA All-Star Weekend. Two months later, he participated in the NCAA's first Next Generation Sunday event at the 2018 Final Four, where he participated in life-skills sessions and competed in exhibition games against his peers from around the world while experiencing aspects of the Final Four from a player's perspective.
The forward also took part in the NBA Global Camp in Treviso, Italy and the 2018 NBA Academy Games in Canberra, Australia. This past December, Garang competed alongside top prospects from the NBA's global academies in a series of exhibition games at the NBA G-League Winter Showcase in Las Vegas.
Garang came to Australia as a refugee, fleeing his home country of Uganda at a time of civil war. Moving to Australia at a young age for a safer life, Garang quickly picked up basketball and started playing competitively at the club level.
Garang is the sixth member of the Sooners' 2019 signing class, joining guards De'Vion Harmon (Denton, Texas) and Alondes Williams (River Grove, Ill.), forwards Jalen Hill (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Victor Iwuakor (Sulphur Springs, Texas) and center Corbin Merritt (Tallahassee, Fla.).
The Sooners' recruiting class is listed in the top 20 nationally by Rivals (No. 15), 247Sports (No. 16) and ESPN (No. 18). Both ESPN and Rivals list Oklahoma's incoming class as the second best in the Big 12.
Oklahoma will pair its recruiting class with a roster that returns three starters from the 2018-19 squad. Kristian Doolittle and Brady Manek both ranked in OU's top three for points, rebounds and blocks this season while Jamal Bieniemy led the Sooners in both assists and steals.
Austin Reaves, a transfer from Wichita State, will also be eligible to play next season. The junior is a proven shooter who led the American Athletic Conference in 3-point percentage during conference play in 2017-18 by shooting at a .451 clip (37-for-82).
