Cheir Ajou commits to Northwestern

7’1″ Sudanese center Cheir Ajou became the Northwestern Wildcats last commitment in the 2012 class, and the three-star recruit seems to be the big man addition that team needs.

Feb 21, 2012; Evanston, IL, USA; Northwestern Wildcats mascot Willie the Wildcat cheers during the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Michigan won 67-55. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Giglio-US PRESSWIRE

Cheir Ajou committed to New Mexico in 2010, but the Culver, Indiana recruit suddenly decommitted; nobody knows why. Ajou may not be eligible to play in 2012. He and his mother moved from Sudan in 2008, but his two brothers and father were killed in the Christian-Muslim battles in his country.

He is a three-star recruit who averaged 10-6 per game at Culver Academies in high school. Northwestern added another foreign recruit recently, but he was not allowed to play for the Wildcats. The school decided to abandon his scholarship, and it will be used to bring in this three-star center.

The 7’1″, 240 pound center is Luol Deng’s cousin, which is a great family connection to one of the better players in the NBA. Cheir Ajou is raw, and he gives Northwestern quality depth in the front-court, a position that the Wildcats were a little thin at and in flux with uncertainty.

Ajou has enrolled at Northwestern, but it still remains unclear if he is eligible to play for the Wildcats. The former New Mexico commit has a high amount of upside, but he should still be a useful backup in his first year, if eligible.

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