Latest news with #Solongo
USA Today
06-08-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Notre Dame has two top-100 commits in latest Rivals men's basketball recruiting rankings
Notre Dame is the only school with two top-100 men's basketball commits in today's @Rivals 150 update.94. Jonathan Sanderson98. Gan-Erdene SolongoThe Irish currently have the nation's 11th-ranked 2026 recruiting class. The future is looking bright for Notre Dame's men's basketball program. Rivals released its newest top-150 rankings list for the Class of 2026, and the Fighting Irish are the only school with two top-100 commits. Point guard Jonathan Sanderson and center Gan-Erdene Solongo check in at Nos. 94 and 98, respectively. Sanderson is Rivals' No. 13 point guard in the nation, while Solongo is ranked 12th among centers. Solongo didn't even begin playing basketball until 2022 after moving to the United States from Mongolia. Both Sanderson and Solongo played at Ensworth (Nashville, TN) last season but will play their senior year for La Lumiere School (La Porte, IN). The pair moved to South Bend this past spring because Notre Dame hired Jon Sanderson, Jonathan Sanderson's dad and Solongo's legal guardian, as director of basketball strength and conditioning. Per Rivals, ND currently has the nation's 11th-ranked 2026 recruiting class. Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions. Follow Dave on X: Miller_Dave
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Who is Gan-Erdene Solongo, Ensworth basketball 7-footer from Mongolia? 4 things to know
Gan-Erdene Solongo, a 7-foot-tall junior center on Ensworth's boys basketball team, has a story as big as his massive frame. This is not only his first TSSAA basketball season, but also his first varsity season anywhere. The 17-year-old, who is originally from Mongolia, already has thousands of fans in his home country. The Tennessean published an in-depth profile on Solongo this week exclusively for subscribers. Here are four things to know about Solongo. More: Ensworth 7-footer Gan-Erdene Solongo is new to TSSAA basketball, but already famous in Mongolia Solongo, who is half Irish, came to America at age 15 on a travel visa and was originally connected with The Flyght Academy, a prep program in Dayton, Ohio. The academy included housing, but after Solongo's one season he didn't have a permanent residence. Sharavjamts Tserenjankhar, who helped Solongo get to the states, explained the situation to Sanderson, a member of Ohio State's 1999 Final Four team who was serving a long tenure as the Michigan basketball strength coach. Sanderson and his wife, Jenn, already had three biological children but were open to bringing Solongo into their family legally. Eventually both sides agreed to the Sandersons becoming Solongo's legal guardians in 2023. He moved into their Michigan home, acquired a student visa and enrolled at Saline High School in Ann Arbor. Sanderson moved his family to Nashville last year after resigning from his position at Michigan and getting a job under first-year Vanderbilt men's basketball coach Mark Byington. More: The inspiring story of Daija Coffey, who returned to Nashville basketball court after brain injury Jon Sanderson's son, Jonathan, also attends Ensworth and is a 2025 Mr. Basketball finalist. He is a nationally ranked Class of 2026 guard with offers from Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Iowa, among others. He and Solongo play for the same Hoop City Basketball Club. Solongo's mom, Solongo Khurlee, remains a big part of his life. She lives in Mongolia and talks to her son almost every day. Sanderson said they recently measured Solongo at 7-foot in bare feet. Solongo is about 7-foot-1 in his size 18 sneakers. Solongo is believed to be the tallest living person from Mongolia. Solongo's basketball highlights went viral in Mongolian social media circles almost immediately when he started playing at age 14. He was already about 6-foot-11. Ider-Uugan Ganbat, a 51-year-old Mongolian sportscaster in New Zealand, pulled two Ensworth high school basketball game streams into his YouTube channel earlier this season and they received a combined 27,000 views. Most were from Mongolians who follow Ganbat's channel. 'He represents the future of our national team,' Tserenjankhar said. 'Historically, we haven't had many 7-foot players. Aside from myself, he is one of the few who bring such unique size to the court. His presence fills a critical need at the center position, which has long been a weakness in our current lineup.' Solongo, who mostly goes by 'Ghana,' is averaging 12.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks while shooting 67% from the field at Ensworth. He has offers from Ohio State, Illinois, Arizona State, Indiana, Notre Dame and Butler, despite the fact that he learned basketball just three years ago. Solongo is listed on the 247Sports and Rivals recruiting services websites but does not have a ranking or star rating — presumably because he's been off the radar. He wasn't allowed to play in Michigan last year due to Michigan High School Athletic Association eligibility rules and has been in the United States for a short time. Reach sports writer Tyler Palmateer at tpalmateer@ and on the X platform, formerly Twitter, @tpalmateer83. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Ensworth basketball 7-footer Gan-Erdene Solongo ranking, offers, what to know
