WACO, Texas -- Baylor men's basketball has signed a pair of student-athletes to National Letters of Intent, head coach Scott Drew announced Thursday. The Bears inked junior college forward Nuni Omot and prep forward Mark Vital. Both players will join the Baylor program prior to the 2016-17 season.
"Our staff is really excited to welcome Mark and Nuni to Baylor Nation," Drew said. "These two players are a great start to our 2016 class, and we plan on adding more players to this class later in the year."
Vital is a 6-foot-6, 220-pound forward from Lake Charles, La., who is a consensus top-100 recruit in the 2016 class. He's ranked as high as No. 55 nationally and No. 1 in the state of Louisiana by 247Sports.com. He played the his freshman and sophomore seasons at Washington-Marion High School in Lake Charles, La., and will play his senior year at Advanced Preparatory International in Dallas.
"Mark committed in September 2013, and our relationship has continued to grow over the last two years, so we're really excited that he's now officially a Baylor Bear," Drew said. "He's a high-flyer who brings SportsCenter athleticism to his game, and Baylor Nation is really going to enjoy watching what he can do on the court."
Vital averaged 16.5 points per game during his 2013-14 sophomore year and 13.4 points per game as a freshman in 2012-13, playing 30 games each season. He scored in double figures in 50 of 60 games at Washington-Marion, including 13 games with 20-plus points.
Omot is a 6-foot-9, 205-pound forward from Mahtomedi, Minn., who is ranked No. 1 nationally at his position among junior college players in the class of 2016. He spent the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons at Division II Concordia University in St. Paul, Minn., and will play the 2015-16 season at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa -- the same school that produced current Baylor guard Lester Medford. Omot redshirted during the 2013-14 season, so he'll have two years of eligibility remaining when he joins the Bears.
"Nuni is an outstanding young man that will represent Baylor really well on and off the court, and his best basketball is still ahead of him," Drew said. "He was 6-foot-1 his junior year of high school, he's grown to 6-foot-9 now, and he continues to get better each and every day."
As a redshirt freshman in 2014-15, Omot played in 30 games, 21 of which were starts, and averaged 12.4 points and 5.5 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per contest. He shot .575 from the field (130-of-226), including .417 from 3-point range (20-of-48), and he shot .784 from the free throw line (91-of-116). Omot helped Concordia to a 19-11 record, including 14-8 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play.
Baylor opens the 2015-16 season by hosting Stephen F. Austin at 8:30 p.m. CT Friday. The game will be televised nationally on FOX College Sports-Atlantic and in most parts of Texas on FOX Sports Southwest Plus.
BAYLOR CLASS OF 2016-17 SIGNEES
Mark Vital, 6-6, 220, Lake Charles, La. (Advanced Preparatory International)
National rankings: No. 55 (247Sports.com), No. 65 (ESPN.com), No. 74 (Rivals.com), No. 87 (Future150.com), No.94 (Scout.com)
Position rankings: No. 12 (ESPN.com), No. 13 (247Sports.com), No. 21 (Scout.com)
Regional rankings: No. 24 (ESPN.com)
State of Louisiana rankings: No. 1 (247Sports.com), No. 3 (ESPN.com), No. 4 (Scout.com)
Nuni Omot, 6-9, 205, Mahtomedi, Minn. (Indian Hills CC)
National rankings: No. 11 JuCo (247Sports.com)
Position rankings: No. 1 JuCo (247Sports.com)
State rankings: No. 2 JuCo (247Sports.com)
