Fahro Alihodzic, a 6-10, 235-pound forward born in Bosnia, committed to Fordham on Monday.
Alihodzic, who went to high school in England, is now at the Canary Basketball Academy where he plays with fellow Fordham commit Danny Thompson, a 6-4 shooting guard.
ZAGSBLOG also broke the news of Thompson’s commitment earlier this month.
Steve Keller of the National Recruiting Report rated Alihodzic a High Major player.
Alihodzic and Thompson join 6-3 Lance Brown of Paterson (N.J.) Catholic, 6-7 Chris Gaston of New Hampton (N.H.); 6-8 Brian Freeman of Potomac (Va.) Potomac Falls; and 6-4 combo guard Brennen Melvin of Bishop Verot (Fla.) in Fordham’s recruiting class.
Fordham assistant Jared Grasso, one of the top young assistants in the game, helped land all of these players.
Fordham is still awaiting news on the future of freshman point guard Jio Fontan, who has requested his release but is being blocked by the school. News could come later this week.
MARQUETTE LANDS BIG MAN
Marquette signed African standout Youssoupha Mbao (You-sof-ah M-bow) to a National Letter of Intent.
Mbao, a 7-2, 215-pounder, will arrive on campus this summer and have four years of eligibility with Marquette.
“We are very excited to welcome Youssoupha to the Marquette family,” coach Buzz Williams said. “We have followed him since the fall, and each time we saw him, he continued to improve. Youssoupha speaks four languages fluently and his infectious spirit is identifiable as soon as you meet him, and because of how he was raised, and how he has been coached, his work ethic is unquestionable.
“That combination represents what we want to be about on and off the floor, and with his very high ceiling, I believe he has a very bright future, Williams added.”
A native of Dakar, Senegal, Mbao competed for Stoneridge Prep in Simi Valley, Calif., in 2008-09, a program that entered the season ranked eighth in the country under head coach Babacar Sy. Mbao averaged 13.4 points, 11.2 rebounds and 6.0 blocks last season for Stoneridge, helping the team to a 17-13 overall record.
He has also participated in the 2008 adidas Nations Experience and the National Prep Showcase. Mbao was named to the honorable mention squad of the class of 2009 by NBN Basketball Magazine. He is rated 17th overall by Rivals.com.
