The Nebraska men's basketball team picked up a recruiting win one day after winning on the court.
Blaise Keita, one of the top junior college big men in the nation, committed to NU on Monday, giving NU coach Fred Hoiberg and recruiting ace Matt Abdelmassih a big man in the 2022 recruiting class.
The Huskers were able to land the 6-foot-10, 225-pound Keita over the likes of Baylor, Minnesota, Arizona State and Oklahoma State, which were all showing active interest. Keita will play this season and next for Coffeyville Community College (Kansas) before coming to Lincoln for the 2022-23 season.
"He was just to the point where he liked Coach (Fred) Hoiberg and the staff there, and was comfortable," long-time Coffeyville coach Jay Herkelman said Monday. "It was going to get pretty hectic as it went along with Blaise's recruiting, and I think (he) just wanted to be comfortable knowing where he's going to be so he can just concentrate on his academics and basketball stuff while he's still here."
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Keita will have three years of eligibility with the Huskers.
"He's a hard worker (and) he picks stuff up well. He's talented, that's the No. 1 thing," Herkelman said. "Obviously we recruited him here for a reason."
Eight games into his junior college career, Keita is averaging 12.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots in about 24 minutes per game for Coffeyville while shooting 56% from the field and 75% at the free-throw line.
"He's a legit 6-foot-10 forward that can play. He plays both end of the floor," Herkelman said. "He's a good defender, he's tough, doesn't mind getting physical in the post. He's got a good rebounding mentality — he tries to go get all the balls that go to the rim."
Keita also has a developing faceup game, and can score with his back to the basket on offense, Herkelman said.
When he gets to Nebraska, he will join a Huskers lineup that shouldn't be hurting for length depending on who is on the roster.
The 6-9 Yvan Ouedraogo will be a senior in 2022-23 while 6-10 Eduardo Andre will be a junior. Wilhelm Breidenbach, who will join the team this summer, will be a 6-10 sophomore while Dalano Banton will be a 6-9 senior.
A native of Mali, Keita found his way to Coffeyville out of Kansas prep powerhouse Sunrise Christian Academy, where he was considered a three-star prospect while doing a post-graduate year. Keita's recruitment initially died down when he did not qualify academically out of high school, which led him to Sunrise Christian and then Coffeyville.
Already 21 years old, Keita averaged a double-double (10.2 points, 10.3 rebounds) for Mali at the 2017 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup.
With the NU roster's current construction, Nebraska now has four open scholarships for 2022.