Abu Kigab is Officially a Boise State Bronco

Before Boise State basketball coach Leon Rice could say anything official, Oregon transfer Abu Kijab had to be registered in classes at BSU. That happened late yesterday and Boise State was quick to release the official word:

Boise State men's basketball head coach Leon Rice announced the addition of mid-year transfer Abu Kigab (pronounced uh-BOO KEE-jab) to the program, Monday. Kigab comes to the Broncos having played at Oregon for the entirety of the 2017-18 season along with part of 2018-19. He will join Boise State immediately and be eligible for competition midway through the 2019-20 season with a year and a half of athletic eligibility remaining.

"We're getting an exceptional player in Abu," Rice said. "Not only is he great on the court, but he's also a high character student-athlete who is going to be a perfect addition to the team. We couldn't be happier that he chose to continue his collegiate career here at Boise State."

A native of St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, Kigab was a four-star recruit with a scout grade of 81 according to ESPN.com. He is believed to be the second-highest rated player (as a prep) to join Boise State, trailing only Chandler Hutchison and his scout grade of 83 according to ESPN.com.

Kigab played for St. Francis Phoenix in St. Catharines, Ontario, prior to transferring to Prolific Prep Academy in Napa, Calif. He was rated as the second-best small forward coming out of California according to Scout.com in 2017.

He also represented his country and played for Team Canada at the 2017 U19 World Cup in Cairo, Egypt, helping Canada to its first FIBA U19 World Cup gold medal. He was named to the World Cup All-Star team after averaging 14.7 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.

"There's many reasons why I chose to come to Boise State," Kigab said on joining the Broncos. "The coaches, players and team culture here really stood out to me. I feel like I will have an opportunity to show people what I can do and contribute to the team's success."

A skilled defender at 6-foot-6, Kigab is an athletic combo forward who rebounds at a high level and excels offensively in the open court. He played in 35 of 36 games for the Ducks as a freshman in 2017-18, averaging 7.7 minutes per game.

Kigab most recently averaged 2.6 points and 2.7 rebounds per game in 2018-19, averaging 15.0 minutes in 10 games – including three starts – for Oregon this season.