Japanese basketball standout Rui Hachimura announced on Wednesday that he has met the academic requirements to enroll at Gonzaga University and could begin playing for the school's basketball team as early as this fall.

Hachimura, who committed to the Bulldogs last year, said that he has now met the SAT (a test widely used for college admissions) and GPA (grade point average) requirements to be eligible to play at the private university in Spokane, Washington.

The 18-year-old, who graduated from Sendai's Meisei High School in March, will attend Gonzaga's English Language Center from the end of this month to polish his English and register to be a Gonzaga student for the fall semester in September. He will head to the United States this weekend.