Decision Date: Oct. 31
Top competition: Oklahoma, Washington, Washington State
Rundown: Four-star wing Shane Nowell announced via his Instagram page that he will be making his commitment this Saturday. A time has not yet been specified but the 2021 prospect is coming to the end of the his recruitment. Arizona has been the favorite for a couple months now after offering him back in July. The thought had been early in his recruitment that Washington would end up landing him since his brother, Jaylen, was a standout player for the Huskies. He has gone on record to say that he believes that thought by college programs kept them from offering him a scholarship. There is certainly a good chance that is true, and part of the reason why Arizona held out on offering him until this summer.
Once it became clear that he was not locked in to playing for his hometown program in Seattle, Arizona decided to turn up the heat in his recruitment and offer him. He has turned into one of the program's top priorities and the staff has done a good job of building a connection with him aided by the arrival of Seattle native Jason Terry, who joined the UA staff late in the spring. Oklahoma is another program that has prioritized Nowell but the Wildcats are going to be the favorite heading into his announcement this weekend.
Arizona has missed on a couple of its top front court targets, but much of the focus as of late has been on the perimeter as Sean Miller wants to build up that group to lead the way through his three-guard lineup in the coming years. Nowell is a versatile player who will be able to work at either wing spot for the Wildcats, assuming he picks the program. The lefty is a standout jump shooter when it comes to his mid-range game and he is capable of extending that out and making shots from the 3-point area. He also has a toughness on both ends of the floor that Miller has been looking for and wants to have as part of the identity of his team once again. Overall, Nowell has a well-rounded game that would allow him to be a nice glue piece for the Wildcats in the years to come
Something else that cannot be understated is his personality. Nowell is a bit more reserved and low key than most prospects you will come across. He's not out for attention and anyone I have talked with about him raves about his his willingness to take to coaching and really just how nice of a person he is. Miller and the staff have worked very hard to seek out those types of players for the future of the roster so it makes sense that Arizona would be attracted to Nowell.
As of now the word has been that Arizona's recent addition of New Jersey wing Shane Dezonie is not going to impact things with Nowell, so as of today the word continues to be that he will end up picking the Wildcats.
