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“That’s my best friend,� Mawut said of Malauch, once his teammate with the NBA Academy Africa in Senegal.

Last week, Mawut visited Tucson to see the other side of the Wildcats and felt at home. Then on Friday, the 6-11 developmental prospect announced his commitment to the Wildcats.

Arizona later confirmed his signing, which made Mawut the sixth incoming freshman of the Wildcats’ powerhouse 2025 recruiting class.

“I’m big on college basketball. I watched a lot of games, and it was something I was really hoping to play one day,� Mawut said. “With Arizona, the fan base is big and the coaching staff I’m continuing to build relationships with.

“And also, just overall, I loved it out there. Once I stepped on campus, it just felt like, `Oh, man, the weather reminds me a lot about South Sudan.’ �

With a formal name of Mabilmuwat Kon Mabil, and sometimes referred to as Mabil Mawut (Ma-bill Ma-woot), Mawut is a South Sudan citizen who grew up mostly in Uganda and moved to Senegal to play for the NBA Academy in 2021.�

From there, Mawut picked up a scholarship at Our Saviour Lutheran in the Bronx, where he has spent the past two seasons and says he will graduate next month. He also played on the EYBL club circuit last summer with the New York Lightning, after which Mawut said a few college coaches expressed interest.

Mawut said he plans to arrive back in Tucson for good later next month. While South Sudan students holding U.S. visas have recently faced issues over a deportee dispute, Mawut said he is not concerned because South Sudan has responded and the situation is now under review.

When he arrives at Arizona for summertime workouts, Mawut said he has no expectations other than working hard and helping where he can.

“The coaching staff is gonna help me in whichever way they can to make a better version of me on and off the court,� Mawut said.

Mawut will join a 2025 UA recruiting class that includes two five-star Americans, forward Koa Peat and guard Brayden Burries, along with four-star Dutch forward Dwayne Aristode and three-star guard Bryce James. UA is also bringing in former Salpointe guard Evan Nelson as a grad transfer from Harvard.

Overall, Arizona now has 11 scholarship players lined up for 2025-26, not counting forward Carter Bryant, who is testing the NBA Draft.

Love, Bradley left off NBA Combine list

Bryant was one of 75 players invited to the NBA Draft Combine later this month in Chicago, though teammates Caleb Love and Jaden Bradley were not.

The NBA Combine list is usually a barometer of who is likely to be picked in the NBA Draft, which has only 60 selections. Bradley and Love are not projected draft picks, but Bryant is expected to land midway through the first round if he leaves Arizona.

Recent mock drafts from The Ringer and The Athletic both have Bryant at No. 9, a slot that calls for a guaranteed two-year deal approaching $13 million.

Under the NBA’s latest collective bargaining agreement, Bryant will have to participate in the combine testing and interviews but isn’t obligated to play in the five-on-five scrimmages.

Bradley, who is testing the draft along with Bryant, and Love could be invited to the preceding G League Elite camp but the NBA has not released that list of invitees yet. Love, who is now out of college eligibility, played in the G League camp last spring.

The NBA said “a select number of standout players� from the May 9-11 G League camp would be invited to the NBA Combine from May 11-18. Both events are scheduled to be held at Chicago’s Wintrust Arena.

Last season, while Arizona’s Pelle Larsson and Keshad Johnson played in the NBA Combine, Love and UA guard KJ Lewis were invited to participate in the G League Camp.

Lewis turned down the invitation while Love participated, but both players ultimately returned to Arizona for the 2024-25 season.

UA to open vs. national champion Florida Gators

Arizona and Florida are near an agreement that would have the Wildcats face the defending national champion Gators in a season-opening doubleheader at Las Vegas Nov. 3, according to a report in College Hoops Today that was later confirmed at Arizona.

BYU is scheduled to face Villanova in the other half of the doubleheader at T-Mobile Arena, though the event and tipoff times have not been officially announced.

The proposed game fits with UA’s schedule strategy for 2025-26. Rather than play in a multi-team event such as the Battle 4 Atlantis, which the Wildcats did last season, UA coach Tommy Lloyd has said UA would assemble its own multi-team event of sorts.

Arizona’s 2025-26 schedule already includes confirmed games against UCLA (Nov. 14 in Los Angeles), UConn (in Connecticut on Nov. 19), Auburn at McKale Center (Dec. 6) and against Alabama (in Birmingham on Dec. 13).

Florida finished the 2024-25 season at 36-4 and beat Big 12 champion Houston 65-63 in the NCAA championship game.