Five-star forward Tajh Ariza, the son of 18-year NBA veteran Trevor Ariza, verbally committed to Oregon on Friday.
Ariza, the No. 18 player in the 2026 recruiting class in the 247Sports Composite, chose the Ducks over USC. He becomes one of the highest-rated commits in Oregon history, behind only Bol Bol, Kel’el Ware, and N’Faly Dante.
A 6-foot-9, 200-pound forward from St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, Calif., Tajh Ariza is built like his father. He projects as an instant-impact college defender, although his offensive skills still need some polish. If that scouting report sounds familiar to longtime NBA fans, it should: Trevor, a second-round pick by the New York Knicks out of UCLA in 2004, was a relative non-shooter entering the league, before developing into a career 35.1 percent marksman from 3.
But Ariza’s commitment is significant beyond his name, and even beyond becoming Dana Altman’s second 2026 commit. (The first is four-star center Kendre Harrison, a rare two-sport athlete and five-star tight end prospect who will also play for Oregon’s football team.)
After the adoption of the House v. NCAA settlement this summer, college basketball recruiting has slowed to a crawl. Many coaches, unsure about the role that NIL collectives — and their coffers — can play moving forward, have opted to wait for clarity from the NCAA before making major financial commitments to high schoolers. Accordingly, Ariza is only the fourth five-star prospect in the Class of 2026 to commit so far, a number that lags compared to past cycles. None of the top eight players in the class have committed yet, and Jason Crowe Jr. — the No. 9 recruit, who is headed to Missouri — is the only one in the top 13. That slowdown has also been amplified by rising high school prices; the cost for five-star high school talent now regularly rivals that of established high-major transfer options.
As the start of high school season nears in the next month, expect more top players to come off the board — but don’t be surprised if some of the best players in the 2026 class wait to commit until the spring, when coaches will hopefully have a better idea what financial constraints they’re working under.
(Photo: Craig Strobeck / Imagn Images)
