Aggie basketball adds 7-footer Bol Kuir to 2022 signing class

Stephen Wagner, Las Cruces Sun-News
·2 min read

New Mexico State officially added the tallest player of its 2022 signing class Tuesday morning, announcing that head coach Greg Heiar had signed 7-foot-3-inch center Bol Kuir from Belfry High School in Belfry, Kentucky.

Kuir announced his commitment on Twitter Monday night, choosing NMSU over Providence, West Virginia, UNLV, Texas Tech and DePaul, among others. The top rebounder in the state of Kentucky in 2021 stands to be the tallest Aggie since Sim Bhullar played in 2013-2014.

"100% committed to New Mexico State university thank coach Greg Heiar for believing in my game let’s go AGGIE(s)," Kuir said in a tweet.

More: New Mexico State men's basketball recruiting tracker

Kuir, originally from South Sudan, is rated as a two-star recruit by verbalcommits.com and is listed as the No. 6 center in the 2024 NBA Draft class according to NBA Draft Room. He averaged 13.8 points and 13.4 rebounds in 2021 but only played six games in 2022.

More: Fitting in, in Appalachia: 7-foot-3 Bol Kuir is a 'unicorn' in the mountains

Belfry High School basketball's Bol Kuir, a native of Sudan, stands 7'3 and will anchor Belfry down low as they pursue their first regional championship in nearly thirty years. Nov. 10, 2021
Belfry High School basketball's Bol Kuir, a native of Sudan, stands 7'3 and will anchor Belfry down low as they pursue their first regional championship in nearly thirty years. Nov. 10, 2021

"He is a generational talent. His size alone makes him different and his dedication to getting better will fit right in as we prepare daily to become the best versions of ourselves," Heiar said in a statement. "He can shoot it, handle it and defend multiple positions. I know Bol will become a fan favorite in a short amount of time because of his electric personality, his smile and his game."

Kuir's addition gives the Aggies 11 scholarship players for next season and three class of 2022 high school recruits. He joins Deuce Benjamin and Shahar Lazar, who signed earlier this month, and four transfer recruits. Chi Chi Avery, Mike Peake and Kiran Oliver have pledged to return to NMSU after being on the roster last season. Redshirt Shakiru Odunewu is also expected to return.

NMSU still has two scholarships available for next year's roster.

Kuir's guardian, Daniel Hicks, is a former Aggie who played for head coach Neil McCarthy in 1994-1995 but ran into legal trouble in the last decade. Hicks fell under FBI investigation for creating a school named the West Virginia Prep Academy, which did not have classes or a physical space, according to a Sports Illustrated article. Hicks was later sentenced to 18 months in prison for a separate distribution of herione charge and making false statements to the FBI regarding the basketball scheme, according to the article.

Kuir is the first true center to commit to Heiar's Aggies for 2022.

Stephen Wagner is a sports reporter for the Las Cruces Sun-News. He can found on Twitter at @stephenwag22 and reached at SWagner@lcsun-news.com.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: NMSU Aggie basketball adds 7-footer Bol Kuir to 2022 signing class