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Arizona lands commitment from five-star guard despite FBI investigation

UMBC v Arizona

TUCSON, AZ - NOVEMBER 12: Head coach Sean Miller of the Arizona Wildcats reacts to a foul call during the first half of the college basketball game against the UMBC Retrievers at McKale Center on November 12, 2017 in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

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FBI investigation be damned, Sean Miller is not going to stop recruiting.

On Friday, the Arizona head coach landed a commitment from one of his top targets, five-star point guard and Phoenix native, Nico Mannion.

“It just felt right,” Mannion told 247Sports of his decision. “I’m really comfortable with them. It’s close, I like the guys they have already. The kids they are recruiting are all good kids, so it makes it easier for me but it was just the feeling. It felt like home.”

Mannion picked the Wildcats over Marquette, Duke and Kansas, among others, although it wasn’t much of a surprise. Arizona was always considered the leader for the star in their backyard. If Mannion’s name sounds familiar, it is because he reclassified from the Class of 2020 after getting called up to the Italian national team during a World Cup qualifier over the summer; his father met his mother, an Italian volleyball star, while playing pro ball in Italy.

This is the first commitment in the Class of 2019 for Arizona, who was as publicly tied to the FBI’s investigation into college basketball as any program. A former assistant coach, Book Richardson, was arrested and still faces federal charges, while former star Deandre Ayton was alleged in a since-discredited report to have received $100,000 as a payment to attend Arizona.