Arop commits to Gonzaga 

By Jim Meehan
Staff writer

Mangisto Arop, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Canada, has orally committed to play for the Gonzaga men’s basketball team. He will join the Bulldogs in 2009.

Arop is in his junior year at Canada’s National Elite Development Academy in Hamilton, Ontario. Arop said he had scholarship offers from Portland and Montana and he was receiving recruiting interest from St. John’s.

“Gonzaga is a Top 25 school and academically they have smaller classes so it will be easier to get to know professors,” Arop said. “Their coaching staff was nice. They’re interested in developing players and your character. They care about that more than basketball. That’s a place I want to go to because I want to become a better person to go along with being a better basketball player.”

Arop is a native of Sudan, but left the war-torn country at age nine with his mother and four older brothers. They relocated to Kenya before settling in Canada.

“Jan. 27, 2000 – I can still remember the date,” said Arop, who hasn’t seen his father, who lives in Uganda, for nine years. Asked if leaving Sudan gave him an opportunity at a new life, Arop said, “Big time.”

Arop played for Canada at the Schweitzer Tournament in Germany in March. Canada placed fifth (the U.S. was fourth) and Arop poured in 30 points and had 17 rebounds in an 80-54 win over Argentina to conclude the tournament. He’ll participate in another tournament in Argentina later this summer.

At the development academy in Hamilton, Arop attends school in the mornings and trains for basketball in the afternoon, followed by conditioning and study hall. The academy brings together the top Canadian juniors for year-round training to assist their development. It’s similar to programs in Australia and France.

Arop talked earlier this week with Gonzaga center Robert Sacre, a product of Handsworth Secondary School in North Vancouver, B.C. Sacre will be a sophomore next season.

“I’ve played against him and we were also in national camps together,” Arop said. “I asked him how he likes school and he said it was a good place and that he likes it a lot.”

Gonzaga recently lost ’09 commitment Brock Osweiler, who decided to play football at Arizona State.

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