Top international basketball prospect Benjamin Schroder commits to Oklahoma Sooners

Top international basketball prospect Benjamin Schroder has committed to Oklahoma, he told ESPN on Wednesday.

"The recruiting process was a different experience from the very beginning," Schroder told ESPN. "They seemed really to care about me, not only as a player, but also as a person. Head coach Porter Moser, associate head coach David Patrick and the whole coaching staff want to win championships."

Schroder, 18, is considered one of the most promising European prospects committing to the college route. He averaged 16.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists in just 23 minutes per game at the FIBA U18 European Challengers this summer for Germany, finishing second in scoring and third in player efficiency rating (PER) at the event while converting 71% of his field goal attempts. He also led Germany in scoring and was one of the top per-minute scorers at the U16 European Championship in 2019.

Schroder grew up with Bayern Munich but moved to Kickz IBAM (International Basketball Academy Munich) in the summer of 2020 to play for coach Robby Scheinberg. While youth basketball competitions in Germany were canceled almost entirely because of COVID-19 last season, Schroder played professionally for TSV Oberhaching Tropics in the German third division, averaging 12 points in 24 minutes competing against men.

Schroder graduated high school this past summer and will take a gap year to focus on basketball full time and prepare to enroll at Oklahoma next summer, playing mostly in the U19 NBBL and fourth division Regionalliga. He is planning an official visit to the school next month.

"We talked to a lot of different schools, including some Ivy League programs and other schools from the ACC, Pac-12 and Big 12," Schroder said. "I had five other scholarship offers, but I am absolutely sure about Oklahoma and wanted to commit during the early signing period to put the focus on my game again."

Standing 6-foot-7 barefoot, Schroder has ample size and strength to play either wing position at the college level. He's an aggressive slasher who initiates quite a bit of offense, getting to the free throw line and playing above the rim frequently, thanks to his strong ball-handling ability and willingness to embrace contact. His physical tools and competitiveness are similarly assets on the defensive end.

While Schroder was pursued by professional teams in Germany and Spain, he says playing college basketball in the US was always his goal.

"I want to be the best basketball player I can become, while having as much fun as possible. The US plays a different style of basketball and will give me a chance to work with the best coaches, facilities and physical programs in the world. I also love the States and hope it will be a good personal experience beside basketball."

Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft expert and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service utilized by NBA, NCAA and International teams.