Providence basketball lands highly rated recruit. Who is it?

Providence has secured a commitment from its highest-rated men’s basketball recruiting prospect in more than a decade.

Oswin Erhunmwunse pledged to the Friars during a live stream with 247Sports on Thursday. He further confirmed the decision with a post to his personal Instagram page.

Erhunmwunse selected Providence ahead of Big East conference rival Creighton, Georgia Tech and Oklahoma. He took an official visit with the Friars in November and has been a regular in the first row behind the bench during their home games this season at Amica Mutual Pavilion.

“I want to stay home and be a legend,” Erhunmwunse said. “I know that I can do something special at Providence.”

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Erhunmwunse is a consensus top-40 prospect in the Class of 2025 prepping at nearby Putnam Science Academy in Putnam, Conn. He plays his grassroots basketball on the Adidas circuit under the BABC/Team New England umbrella. Erhunmwunse could join 2024 small forward Ryan Mela in Providence’s next class if he fulfills his academic requirements early and opts to do so, with the Massachusetts native having signed a letter of intent in November.

“This chapter of my life has been the best ever,” Erhunmwunse said. “I want to say thanks to all the coaches who recruited me, who saw a future in me.”

Erhunmwunse is a native of Nigeria who received a scholarship offer from the Friars during an unofficial visit in June. He spent part of last summer in the state and was among a host of prospects who attended Providence’s Late Night Madness event in September. Erhunmwunse also listed offers from the likes of Iowa, Texas Tech, Rutgers, Marquette, Wake Forest, California, Washington and Alabama.

“It just made me feel like a lot of people believed in me and saw potential in me,” Erhunmwunse said. “I would say I loved it. It was cool.”

Erhunmwunse was a top-20 prospect according to Rivals.com and a top-30 prospect according to ESPN — he received a four-star grade from each major internet scouting service. He’s a 6-foot-9-inch left-hander who projects as a shot-blocking factor at the rim on the defensive end. Erhunmwunse’s offensive game is a bit of a work in progress, but athletic frontcourt players like him tend to be in heavy demand regardless of deficiencies that can improve with time.

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“I came to the U.S. to play basketball at the highest level,” Erhunmwunse said. “I was lucky to team up with BABC and TNE — they took care of me.”

Erhunmwunse is the second top-50 prospect per 247Sports to commit to the Friars under Kim English. Garwey Dual was the first — he initially pledged to Providence with Ed Cooley in charge, reopened his recruitment when Cooley left for Georgetown and ultimately decided to join the Friars for the 2023-24 season. AJ Reeves was the most recent top-50 player to select the Friars prior to Dual, doing so in a Class of 2018 that also included city native David Duke Jr.

Makai Ashton-Langford was a top-50 player when he committed to Providence in 2017 and Brandon Austin, who never played a game for the Friars, was a top-50 prospect in 2013. Providence’s biggest previous splash came in 2012, when top-15 prospects Kris Dunn and Ricky Ledo both committed. Dunn developed into a two-time conference Player of the Year and is currently with the Utah Jazz in his eighth NBA season.

Erhunmwunse’s commitment is partly thanks to the Friars spinning their recruiting efforts ahead to his 2025 class. They’ve welcomed point guards Nigel James and Mikel Brown Jr. and small forwards Efeosa Oliogu and Jamier Jones on official visits and are among the finalists for point guard Jeremiah Fears. Illinois, Kansas, Ole Miss and Michigan also remain in the running for Fears, a suburban Chicago native whose older brother, Jeremy, plays at Michigan State.

bkoch@providencejournal.com     

On X: @BillKoch25 

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence basketball gets commitment from top recruit Oswin Erhunmwunse