PORTLAND, Ore. – University of Portland men's basketball has signed Bol Dengdit – a representative of the NBA Global Academy and Australian Under-19 National Team – to a National Letter of Intent, head coach Shantay Legans announced on Wednesday.

Dengdit (6-11) has been on a meteoric rise since picking up the game over the last few years. At just 18 years of age he earned a roster spot with Australia for the 2021 FIBA Under-19 World Cup. He averaged 6.7 points and 3.3 rebounds over seven games at the event, including 10 points against Team USA. Dengdit shot 47 percent from the field and made 12-of-13 free throws overall.

"Bol has an extremely bright future," Legans said. "His skill set aligns well with how we want to play. He is an excellent shooter, has good size and can score in a variety of ways. Bol has played against high-level competition with the Australian National Team and really improved since joining the NBA Global Academy. He is an exciting addition to the Pilot Basketball family."

Dengdit joined the NBA Global Academy in Australia in January of 2019. The NBA Global Academy is an elite basketball training center at Basketball Australia's Centre of Excellence at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra and serves as the NBA's hub for top male and female prospects from outside the U.S.

NBA Academy is a year-round elite basketball development initiative that provides top high school-age prospects from outside the U.S. with a holistic approach to player development and pathway to maximize their potential, including academic support in an NCAA-approved virtual learning program. Since 2016, 60 NBA Academy participants have committed to NCAA Division-I schools and eight participants have signed professional contracts.

Dengdit will join an upstart Portland Pilots men's basketball program under the direction of Legans, who came to The Bluff in the Spring of 2021 after four successful years as the head coach at Eastern Washington.

Portland's 2021-22 roster features eight international players, which matches Arizona for the most in the nation at the Division I level.