The UC Santa Barbara men’s basketball team announced the first member of its 2022-2023 recruiting class, as forward Koat Keat Tong officially signed his National Letter of Intent with the Gauchos on Wednesday.
“We are so excited about KK joining our family,” said Head Coach Joe Pasternack. “He’s an incredible student-athlete and a very talented front court player. He versatile, can play multiple positions, score inside and out, and is an elite defender.”
Born in South Sudan, Keat comes to Santa Barbara from Crean Lutheran High School in Irvine, where he was named the CIF-SS Division 2A Player of the Year and led his school to a Southern Section title in his junior year. The 6-10 forward averaged 22.4 points, 18.4 rebounds, and 1.6 steals in five playoff wins.
As a member of the club team DreamVision, Keat led program to the 2021 Adidas: Three Stripe Select Circuit Championship.
Keat is the highest rated recruit in program history as the No. 99 player in the nation on PrepHoops and No. 157 according to 247 Sports.