Tennessee basketball recruiting: Three-star Maryland PF commits to Vols for 2019
Tennessee basketball recruiting got a huge Maryland commitment. Three-star Cumberland, Md. power forward Oliver Robinson-Nkamhoua chose the Volunteers.
Just one day after two of the three 2019 Tennessee basketball signees arrived on campus to begin their college careers, the Vols got a commitment from another player in that class. Western Maryland prospect Oliver Robinson-Nkamhoua committed to Rocky Top Tuesday morning.
A three-star prospect on Rivals, Robinson-Nkamhoua committed to the program over the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Pitt Panthers, according to Corey Evans of Rivals.com. The Finnish-born prospect spent most of his junior year injured, limiting national interest in him his senior year.
At 6’8″ 210 pounds, Robinson-Nkamhoua went to Bishop Walsh High School in Cumberland, Md. He is considered a project, but Rick Barnes still deserves credit for securing his commitment over multiple other Power Five schools.
As a late bloomer, Robinson-Nkamhoua shows a ton of potential. Given the fact that he was able to maintain a three-star rating and draw interest from Power Five programs despite his injury as a junior, he clearly has some talent.
Combine that with Barnes’s ability to develop players, and Robinson-Nkamhoua could be a match made in heaven for Tennessee basketball. With the losses of Admiral Schofield and Kyle Alexander and now the strong possibility of Grant Williams leaving early, playing time could be wide open in the post as well for Vols newcomers.
That could be a big selling point for Robinson-Nkamhoua and why he committed. But with DJ Burns and Yves Pons on the roster, Barnes targeting multiple transfers and a couple of forwards committed, competition will still be fierce. Here’s a look at Robinson-Nkamhoua’s highlight reel from back in 2017, before he got hurt his junior year.
As you can see, Robinson-Nkamhoua has plenty of ability in the paint. He can stretch the floor just enough with a solid jumper and is clearly very aggressive under the basket. Being able to drive from the top of the key is also a big plus. Playing in Western Maryland could draw out questions about his competition, but the talent is clearly there.
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Tennessee basketball now has four commitments, including Robinson-Nkamhoua, along with five-star combo guard Josiah James, three-star small forward Davonte Gaines and three-star power forward Drew Pember. James and Gaines arrived on campus Monday with Pember set to arrive next month.