The LSU basketball team secured the commitment of five-star power forward Ben Simmons Monday.
Simmons is the No. 2 power forward in the nation for the 2015 signing class, according to recruiting site rivals.com. ESPN ranks him as the No. 4 overall prospect in his class, and rivals.com ranks him No. 6 overall.
Simmons chose LSU over more traditional basketball powerhouses such as Kansas, Duke and Kentucky — which were all reportedly interested in the 6-foot-10-inch, 230-pound Australia native.
LSU had an upper-hand in Simmons’ recruitment, as Simmons’ godfather, David Patrick, is an LSU assistant coach. Simmons’ teammate at Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla., Jayln Patterson, also recently committed to the Tigers, and Simmons’ brother, Liam Tribe-Simmons, was recently hired as an assistant coach at Nicholls State.
According to NBAdraft.net, Simmons is already a polished prospect despite his young age, with an inside out game that should make him a dominating offensive force at the next level.
Simmons began receiving national attention in recruiting circles after his dominant performance at the Pangos All-American camp in 2012.
Simmons’ commitment follows a top-10 recruiting class in 2013 that included five-star forward Jarell Martin and four-star power forward Jordan Mickey, who are both expected to play key roles for the Tigers this season.
Simmons is LSU’s first verbal commitment for the 2015 class.