HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky head men's basketball coach Darrin Horn has announced the final signing of NKU's recruiting class with the addition of Donovan Rakotonanahary, made official on Thursday.
 
Rakotonanahary, a 6-foot-8 guard/forward combo by way of Madagascar, is the final piece for Northern Kentucky before the Norse take to the court for the highly anticipated 2024-25 campaign.
 
"Donovan is a perfect fit for us and offers play from both the perimeter and the paint," Horn said. "He is a long, fluid wing/forward who moves like a guard and rebounds like a big. We also like what he offers on the defensive end of the floor, as with his size and ability to move, he has shown he can defend multiple position at our level and will fit perfectly into our defensive concepts."
 
Prior to making his way to Highland Heights, Rakotonanahary was a standout at Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia. This past season, he was named First Team All-Charlotte Metro Athletic Conference (CMAC) as he averaged 12.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.3 blocks per contest, all while he shot a blistering 59 percent from the field.
 
His Oak Hill Academy team went 26-8 overall and was ranked 47th in the entire state of Virginia.
 
Rakotonanahary has also already been battle-tested on the national stage with stints with Madagascar at both the U19 World Cup in 2023 and the U18 Africa Championship in 2022. He led his squad to the silver medal at the U18 Africa Championship with averages of 11.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.0 steals and followed it up with a 6.6 point, 5.7 board, 3.0 helper and 1.0 swipe performance over seven games at the U19 World Cup.
 
To go with his play on the national stage, Rakotonanahary also attended the FIBA Africa Youth Camp in the Ivory Coast in 2021.
 
The Fianarantsoa, Madagascar native was rated as a three-star student-athlete by Verbal Commits.
 
 
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