Tajh Ariza, a consensus top-25 prospect in the Class of 2026, committed to Oregon on Friday.
The 6-foot-9, 200-pound forward had Southern California as his other finalist before settling on the Ducks.
The son of former NBA journeyman Trevor Ariza plays for St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, Calif.
Tajh Ariza, speaking to ESPN, said of Oregon, “They are going to prepare me for the next level. Coach (Dana) Altman told me that they have minutes for me and need me to play as a freshman but told me I must earn those minutes. ‘We must see your work.’ I have to earn it.”
He called his official visit to Eugene “great.”
“Coach Altman is a basketball guy, but he really connected with me and my family,” Tajh Ariza said. “He sees me not only as a basketball player but as a person. He is a straightforward guy.
“I was shooting in the gym with the Oregon uniform on and Coach Altman was there. He corrected my shot, and then I made almost 30 threes in a row. I got the chills making all those shots and that’s when I felt he was the coach for me.”
The 247 Sports composite ranking lists Ariza as the No. 14 overall prospect in his class and the No. 6 small forward. ESPN rates him No. 24 overall, No. 9 among small forwards.
The five-star prospect is the second top recruit Altman has lined up for 2026, joining four-star center Kendre Harrison of Reidsville (N.C.) High School.
Trevor Ariza played for 10 teams during an 18-season NBA career, and he was a starter on the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2008-09 championship team. In 1,118 career regular-season games (769 starts), the 6-foot-8 forward averaged 10.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 steals.
