RSL Academy Forward Hao Dong Commits to BYU

BYU hoops added another piece to its roster as Chinese forward and RSL Academy product Hao (pronounced “How”) Dong announced his commitment to BYU. He will join the team as a walk-on this coming season.

Hao prepped at Real Salt Lake Academy’s Post Grad team this past year and was the team’s leading scorer. He joined RSL Academy around Thanksgiving and immediately turned heads. As part of RSL’s post grad team, they get a chance to play JUCO schools. According to his coach Shane Hayden, RSL played a top JUCO team from Western Wyoming where he scored 25 points in a narrow loss. He also put up 15 points versus Snow College. Those performances put him on the radar of college coaches who knew virtually nothing about him before.

Hao is originally from China, but spent much of his high school time in Spain learning the game of basketball. Hao is a 6-foot-6 wing that will likely play primarily small forward at BYU. Utah and several other JUCO schools were after him. BYU has been talking to Hao for several months and he committed to BYU after everything was squared away with his transcripts and admissions.

Hao can guard positions 1-4 and has a very strong lower body. He can finish above the rim and also shoot from the outside. I don’t expect much from Hao this year, but he’s a developmental piece that could turn into something down the road. He could’ve gone to several high level JUCOs, but gives BYU an intriguing developmental piece that is still fairly new to the game of basketball.

You can watch some highlights from Hao below.