By SAM LANCE
MESA, AZ — Class of 2027 five-star Paul Osaruyi is one of the youngest players competing on the Nike EYBL 17u circuit this summer. But that hasn’t stopped him from being uber-productive.
Osaruyi — the 6-foot-10, 220-pound big man from Toronto — averaged 10.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 blocks for Arizona Unity at Nike EYBL Session 1. He was a menace on the offensive glass and had several highlight finishes at the rim.
“I use my athletic ability and my speed to help me on the court,” Osaruyi told ZAGSBLOG. “Whether it’s in transition, using my vertical ability to get rebounds. I’m just being a team player and a playmaker, using my abilities to help better the team.” Osaruyi has improved his shooting lately, but his athletic ability is really what makes him unique. He said the next step in his game is improving his motor, being able to sprint down the floor and play as hard as he can every single possession. This summer, Osaruyi’s biggest goal is winning Peach Jam. Arizona Unity lost in the Final Four last year with Osaruyi playing 16u. “I’m just trying to get back and get a little revenge,” Osaruyi said. On the recruitment front, Osaruyi has reported offers from Arizona State, CSUN, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State and Syracuse, but he’s receiving much more interest than just those programs. Arizona State, Houston, Kentucky, Mississippi State, North Carolina and Syracuse were all in at Bella Vista Prep (AZ) to see Osaruyi during the high school season. Additionally, Osaruyi has taken unofficial visits to Duke, NC State, North Carolina and Wake Forest. He doesn’t have any other visits set up right now, but as for future visits? “I want to see how Duke is again,” Osaruyi said. “All the Blue Bloods. Kansas, up there. Yeah, that’s mainly it.” The five-star big man broke down some of these programs below: Duke: “When I looked at the campus, it was pretty good. They’re really like a basketball hall-of-fame over there. Like you see coach K and all of them coaches, you know, how they were winning back when he was coaching at Duke. All together the campus was really nice. I watched a few workouts and then the coach, coach [Jon] Scheyer and coach Emanuel [Dildy], they were just telling me how the campus is and then how they’re going to be ready to watch me this AAU season.” Houston: “I was watching them play a lot. They have pretty good players. I was watching them in the Final Four. I was watching how their bigs play because as a top big myself, I just wanted to see how the playstyle is. I’ll eventually visit the campus soon probably, but I was just looking at their playstyle. I just take bits and bits of each school’s playstyle and just see what will best fit for me later on in the long run.” Kentucky: “It’s a pretty good program. They got a new coach, Mark Pope. He’s pretty good. I’ve seen a couple guys I know transfer over there. They are building a solid program this year, so I would like to see what that’s like going forward.” North Carolina: “That school’s pretty nice. Jordan Brand too so like the gear is crazy. The campus is crazy. I watched a few of their games just to get the feel of it a little bit. And that was nice.” Assistant coach Sean May mostly in contact. Osaruyi is ranked the No. 6 overall prospect in the 2027 class by 247Sports. He has an older brother, Emmanuel Osaruyi, who plays basketball at the JUCO level. Osaruyi also has two sisters. Bella Vista head coach Brandon Rosenthal described Osaruyi as a “beast of a human.” “It’s his activity,” Rosenthal said. “He has so many different ways he can impact the game because of his athleticism and his size. His motor became really consistent throughout the year. Another guy who has an extremely bright future.” Follow Sam Lance on Twitter Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on Facebook🇨🇦 Paul Osaruyi, 6’10 F/C, AZ Unity (C/O 27)
— Workin It Hoops (@workinithoops) April 29, 2025
Playing a year up in the U17 division, Osaruyi’s ELITE athleticism really popped – he really is a specimen with his quick first and second jumps and high level length. Additionally, he had some pretty impressive flashes of playmaking… pic.twitter.com/XQNu7vDpl8
