Gai Chol Commits To Mississippi State Men's Basketball

Class of 2023 center Gai Chol announced his commitment to play college basketball at Mississippi State on Saturday morning.

Mississippi State men's basketball head coach Chris Jans picked up the first official member of his 2023 recruitment class in center Gai Chol.

Chol, a center from Greenforest-McCalep Christian Academy in Georgia, announced his commitment to the Bulldogs on Saturday morning via Twitter. The native of South Sudan, Africa, moved to Georgia as a high school freshman and instantly dominated as one of the state's top players.

The 7-foot-0, 235-pound athlete had an outstanding junior season at Greenforest-McCalep. Chol made his stature and presence known on defense. He blocked 2.7 shots, grabbed 1.3 steals and pulled down 8.4 rebounds per game. He also put up 9.7 points per game offensively while making 64 percent of his field goals and 68 percent of his free throws.

247 Sports ranks three-star prospect Chol as the No. 10 overall high school basketball player in Georgia. Nationally, he is listed as the No. 23 center and No. 171 athlete. He was primarily recruited by assistant coach George Brooks, a member of Jans' coaching staff who also worked under former head coach Ben Howland.

Chol selected MSU ahead of six other programs that were among his top choices: Auburn, Ole Miss, Georgia Tech, Georgia, Cincinnati and Wofford. Chol had eight additional scholarship offers as well, but according to 247Sports, he loved the welcoming atmosphere that he saw at MSU.

"I've had a great relationship with Mississippi State and their coaches the whole time," said Chol. "It's good people there and it's like family. I've gotten to know the new staff there and I really like what they are doing."

1000% Committed @GreenforestBall @HailStateMBK pic.twitter.com/whE9MRjaba

— Gai Chol (@GaiChol1) July 9, 2022