Toure (No. 35) commits to Arkansas, Coach Cal

Top-35 elder Abdou Toure announced his committedness to Arkansas connected Friday, giving manager John Calipari his 2nd SC Next 100 enlistee successful the 2026 class.

Toure chose the Razorbacks implicit chap finalists Providence and UConn. He took authoritative visits to Arkansas and Providence and unofficial trips to the Huskies' campus. Providence was perceived to beryllium the favourite down the stretch, but Calipari and the Razorbacks were capable to person Toure.

"Coach Cal and his past was the main crushed I chose Arkansas," Toure told ESPN. "The mode helium treats his players and however helium cares for each his players, on with his energy, was the difference. He is ever determination for his players. He is the benignant of manager I tin person an unfastened speech with, and helium prepares his players for the NBA. I watched the practices, and they were precocious intensity."

Calipari's way grounds with producing NBA draught picks and however highly ranked recruits make nether his tutelage was a origin for Toure.

"Coach Cal is simply a players' coach. He truly cares and loves his players," helium said. "He gave maine existent feedback connected my shot. He said I request to person a higher merchandise constituent connected my 3-point shot."

A 6-foot-6 helping from Notre Dame High School (Conn.), Toure is the highest-ranked subordinate successful the state. He is No. 31 wide successful the SC Next 100.

One of the champion athletes and finishers successful the elder class, Toure plays with accordant strength and impacts the crippled with his speed, quickness and quality to play supra the rim. He fills the lane successful modulation with speed, and erstwhile helium gets to the rim, his verticality kicks in. Toure is an effectual straight-line operator with the shot successful his hands, and helium has a dependable mid-range jumper. Toure is besides a switchable defender who crashes the violative glass.

Playing for BABC connected the Adidas 3SSB circuit this year, Toure averaged 15.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, including a 28-point outing against Wildcat Select successful July. He was named the Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year successful Connecticut aft averaging 25.1 points per crippled arsenic a junior.

Toure is Calipari's 2nd committedness successful the 2026 class, aft five-star tiny guardant JaShawn Andrews picked the Razorbacks successful May. Arkansas inactive has respective high-end targets near connected the board, including Jordan Smith, Caleb Holt, Brandon McCoy and Arafan Diane -- the past of whom Toure played with for Guinea astatine the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup and is idiosyncratic helium is trying to enlistee to Fayetteville.