Arizona basketball coach Sean Miller secured a verbal commitment Thursday from five-star recruit Rondae Jefferson, a small forward from Chester, Pa.
Jefferson, 6-foot-6 and 185 pounds, is rated by Scout.com as the No. 3 small forward in the Class of 2013 and the No. 10 overall prospect.
With small forwards Solomon Hill and Kevin Parrom using up their final seasons of eligibility in 2012-13, Jefferson has the opportunity to step in and play a crucial role for the Wildcats immediately
He reportedly chose Arizona over Florida, Memphis, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple and Texas. committed to the school.
Arizona also has a commitment from 6-5 shooting guard Elliott Pitts, who is rated by Scout as the 23rd-best shooting guard, and will add point guard T.J. McConnell, a transfer from Duquesne who is required to sit out the current season.
The Wildcats reportedly remain in the running for power forward Aaron Gordon of San Jose, the nation's No. 5 overall prospect, and shooting guard Keith Frazier of Dallas, the nation's No. 16 prospect.
Scout describes Jefferson as "a small forward with excellent athleticism, ... gets to the rim at will and just knows how to make things happen. He is an excellent offensive rebounder and someone who plays every possession like it is his last. At this point the only thing he really doesn't do well is shoot it from the outside, but even without that skill he is still extremely productive."
Miller's 2012 recruiting class, featuring top-10 big men Kaleb Tarczewski, Brandon Ashley and Grant Jerrett and shooting guard Gabe York, ranked No. 3 nationally.
