Tulsa was able to stay in state to find its 2021 big man, as 6-foot-10 Nikita Konstantynovskyi of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M committed to the Golden Hurricane on Saturday afternoon.

The talented Ukrainian chose TU over 14 other scholarship offers and will have three years of eligibility remaining due to the NCAA granting an extra year due to the coronavirus.

As a sophomore this season, Konstantynovskyi averaged 11.1 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.9 blocks in 25 minutes per game. He had season highs of 18 points and 15 rebounds.

"Nikita is a wonderful young man, who came here to NEO A&M for the 2019-20 season," said NEO head coach Jeremy Jackson. "He helped us to a 15-1 record in conference play and the region two finals last year until Covid hit. This year, Nikita has been special -- a leader, team-first and a warrior.

"He is an ultra-competitive young man who will work hard every day to do whatever is needed for the team to win. We are grateful for Nikita. Coach (Frank) Haith and Coach (Kwanza) Johnson did an awesome job recruiting him."

CBB Europe, which covers European players in high school and college, believes Konstantynovskyi will be able to make an impact in multiple ways.

“His array of moves makes him very productive down low,” CBB Europe explained via Twitter. “He gets the ball mostly on the left block, but his footwork, patience, soft touch and ability to finish with either hand allow him to be at ease pretty much everywhere around the basket.

“His team needed him to operate mostly in the low post and off the (pick-and-roll), but he’s had some chances to show that he can knock down jumpers from the mid and long range. It will be interesting to see if there will be more of this in the future. He runs the floor well and is always ready to trail in transition, which makes him a constant threat on fast breaks that are often initiated by his rebounds or blocks.”

Tulsa struggled to get consistent production from its big men last season, and the Hurricane lost its top two rebounders from last season, making the addition of Konstantynovskyi even more important. He will join 6-foot-9 Rey Idowu, 6-foot-7 Josh Earley, 6-foot-7 Tim Dalger and 6-foot-7 Jeriah Horne in the frontcourt.