Banton appeared in 31 games with the Raptors last season and averaged 4.6 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 9.0

minutes per game. In 64 games as a rookie, he averaged 3.2 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 10.9 minutes per game

during the 2021-22 season. He also appeared in seven regular season games (all starts) with Raptors 905 where he averaged

24.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.4 steals in 33.6 minutes.

In his sophomore season at Nebraska, he averaged 9.6 points, team highs of 5.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists, and 27.2 minutes

in 27 games, becoming the first player since 1974 to lead the Huskers in both rebounding and assists. A native of Toronto,

Banton was selected with the 46th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, becoming the first Canadian selected by the Raptors

in the draft.

READ MORE:

Top247 OL Preston Taumua talks Nebraska commitment

The top-rated recruit in the state of Hawaii is headed to the Heartland.

Preston Taumua, the Top247 offensive lineman from Waipahu, announced his commitment to Nebraska late Sunday

night, choosing the Cornhuskers over finalists Arizona, Auburn and Oregon.

 

In what could be considered a come-from-behind effort at the finish line, coach Matt Rhule, offensive line coach Donovan

Raiola and the staff made a tremendous impression during Taumua’s official visit last month, sharing their vision for what

the program could accomplish with the talented blocker leading the charge in the trenches.

 

“Coach Raiola was a big part of it for me and he’s from out here, so I could see myself playing for him,” Taumua said. “He’s a

down to earth guy and really treated me like I was a part of his family when we were out there for the visit. Coach Rhule is

great too and I think he can really turn around the program. He told me I could be a part of the class that switches the

program around.”

 

Taumua, the No. 207 overall prospect and No. 11 rated interior offensive lineman in the 2024 class, per the 247Sports

rankings, also took official visits to Arizona, Auburn and Oregon during a whirlwind month of June. He has signed up to

play in the 2024 Polynesian Bowl all-star game after enrolling early in Lincoln.

The impressive 6-foot-4, 315-pound lineman has been among the most highly coveted prospects out West in the 2024 cycle

and gives the Huskers a huge building block up front, with a coach on the islands recently likening Taumua to former four-

star lineman Penei Sewell, who was the No. 7 overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions.

 

“I see coach Raiola and coach Rhule building something special in Lincoln,” Taumua said. “You can really tell that they’ve

got some great momentum. Any time a new coach comes in you want to see the differences and that’s something that’s been

big at Nebraska.

“Daniel Kaelin committed there, that big tight end Carter Nelson, they’re good and I really like them. Danny had been

recruiting me hard telling me to join them, so that was another thing that stood out to me.”

 

Taumua was one of the top performers at the inaugural ESPN300 Elite Underclassmen Camp in Maui last summer and, with

just one Big Sky offer on his list at the time, unquestionably the biggest revelation from the event which featured more than

350 participants. A spry, athletic blocker who shows great balance and footwork, Taumua has the positional versatility to fill

a number of roles at the next level.

 

Stay tuned to 247Sports for breaking news, insight and analysis as prospects across all classes continue to sort through

their top contenders all off-season long.