CEDAR CITY, Utah -- The Thunderbird men's basketball program and head coach Todd Simon have announced the signing of Yuat Alok, a transfer center from the University of Central Florida. 

"We are excited to have Yuat join our program," Simon said. "He's a unique talent with his combination of size and skill. He has unique life experiences, speaks five languages, and is motivated to succeed. We look forward to working with him to develop and showcase his abilities."

Alok is a 6-11 forward/center from Auckland, New Zealand. He was born in Kenya, but moved to New Zealand at a young age. He moved to the United States when he was 17, and played at Impact Academy in Florida for his senior year of high school. 

He was also a member of the U19 New Zealand National Team. 

Alok started his collegiate career at Chipola Community College, where he quickly jumped on the national radar and was at one point regarded as the top junior college prospect in the nation. 

He averaged 12.3 points per game at Chipola, along with 7.0 rebounds per game while shooting 55.1 percent from the field and 81.6 percent from the free throw line as a sophomore. 

During his sophomore season, he was a big offensive threat, scoring 15 or more points in a game on eight different occasions. 

He then transferred to TCU, where he appeared in 10 games before suffering an injury. During his time as a Horned Frog, he averaged 3.3 ppg and 2.5 rpg in just 13 minutes played per game. 

After an injury concluded his tenure at TCU, he moved on to UCF, and is now making his way to Cedar City. 

Alok will join an impressive group of foreign players that have made their way to Southern Utah, including current members of the team with Jarryd Hoppo, Ivan Madunic and Daouda (David) N'Diaye all finding their way to Cedar City from a foreign country. He will also join Australian Jason Spurgin on next year's team.

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