5-star Sayon Keita, a 7-foot international center, commits to North Carolina

Sayon Keita, a five-star prospect according to Rivals, has committed to North Carolina, source confirmed to Rivals.

The 18-year-old, 7-foot big man originally from Mali is widely viewed as one of the top international prospects.

Along with North Carolina, Keita made visits to Kansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Duke, and UConn.

Keita plays for FC Barcelona in Spain, one of the most respected professional clubs in Europe, competing in the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. He averages about three points and two rebounds per game, playing less than 10 minutes per outing.

At the Adidas Next Generation Tournament (ANGT), Keita averaged 13.0 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks in 20 minutes per game. The ANGT is an international tournament for U18 youth teams.

Keita becomes UNC’s seventh commitment of the offseason. He joins four transfer portal additions in NC State guard Matt Able, Virginia Tech guard Neoklis Avdalas, Utah guard Terrence Brown, and Florida Atlantic forward Maxim Logue. New head coach Mike Malone also retained two high school commitments from the prior staff in four-star forward Maximo Adams and three-star guard Malloy Smith.