Ray Mccallum | Brandon Knight Play On University of Kentucky On Television Today --- Ray Mccallum | Brandon Knight Play On University of Kentucky. Brandon Knight listed the five schools he was considering on ESPNU and then, to the surprise of virtually no one, pulled a blue hat out of his bag and made his announcement. The Wildcats signed center Enes Kanter and received a commitment from guard Brandon Knight on Wednesday, two players Calipari hopes can step in and fill some of the holes left by the defection of five players to the NBA. Knight, a McDonald's All-American and a two-time Gatorade National Player of the Year, donned a blue Kentucky hat after making his nationally televised announcement at Pine Crest High in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“The place where I plan to my college basketball is at the University of Kentucky,” Knight said.
“I felt it was a place that had great players, a great environment and just a place where I can elevate my game, with great coaches and great pieces around me already,” the 6-foot-3 Knight said.
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Knight also considered UConn, Florida, Syracuse and Kansas, although Florida recently pulled out of the Sweepstakes.
Knight had yet to send his Letter of Intent to Kentucky as of his announcement, so Wildcats coach John Calipari couldn’t comment on him specifically.
“Let me first of all congratulate the Pine Crest school and coach [Dave] Beckerman for the job they’ve done there with all those kids and that program is really unbelievable,” Calipari told ESPNU.
Knight chose Kentucky over Syracuse, Connecticut, Kansas and Florida. The 6-foot-4, 185-pound Knight was ranked the No. 1 prospect in the country by Rivals.com. He averaged 32 points a game last year at Pine Crest and ended his high school career as the second-leading scorer in Florida history.
Knight will have some big shoes to fill at Kentucky, which loses three players to graduation and could have five underclassmen - guards John Wall and Eric Bledsoe, forward Patrick Patterson and centers DeMarcus Cousins and Daniel Orton - leave early to head to the NBA. The departing underclassmen were the core of a team that went 35-3 and won the Southeastern Conference tournament before advancing to the regional finals of the NCAA tournament.
The Wildcats also got a head start on their 2011 class with Wednesday's commitment from forward Michael Gilchrist, who ESPN Recruiting ranks at the nation's top junior. The 6-foot-7 forward was has been one of the country's most talked about prospects since his freshman season at St. Patrick High School in Elizabeth, N.J. Gilchrist picked the Wildcats over a list of suitors that included Villanova, Texas and Georgia Tech.
Although the biggest developments of the day dealt with college basketball's winningest program, there was big news for a few mid-major programs on Wednesday. Top-50 prospects Ray McCallum, of Detroit's Country Day High School, and Trey Zeigler, of Mount Pleasant (Mich.) High, elected to play their college ball for some coaches they are very familiar with -- their fathers.
McCallum, one of the nation's top point guards, will suit up for his father, Ray McCallum, Sr., at Detroit. Zeigler, a gifted shooting guard, will play for his father, Ernie Zeigler, at Central Michigan.
Tags: josh selby, ray mccallum, trey zeigler, austin rivers, michael gilchrist, trey zeigler, brandon knight, josh selby, espnu, kentucky sports radio
“The place where I plan to my college basketball is at the University of Kentucky,” Knight said.
“I felt it was a place that had great players, a great environment and just a place where I can elevate my game, with great coaches and great pieces around me already,” the 6-foot-3 Knight said.
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Knight also considered UConn, Florida, Syracuse and Kansas, although Florida recently pulled out of the Sweepstakes.
Knight had yet to send his Letter of Intent to Kentucky as of his announcement, so Wildcats coach John Calipari couldn’t comment on him specifically.
“Let me first of all congratulate the Pine Crest school and coach [Dave] Beckerman for the job they’ve done there with all those kids and that program is really unbelievable,” Calipari told ESPNU.
Knight chose Kentucky over Syracuse, Connecticut, Kansas and Florida. The 6-foot-4, 185-pound Knight was ranked the No. 1 prospect in the country by Rivals.com. He averaged 32 points a game last year at Pine Crest and ended his high school career as the second-leading scorer in Florida history.
Knight will have some big shoes to fill at Kentucky, which loses three players to graduation and could have five underclassmen - guards John Wall and Eric Bledsoe, forward Patrick Patterson and centers DeMarcus Cousins and Daniel Orton - leave early to head to the NBA. The departing underclassmen were the core of a team that went 35-3 and won the Southeastern Conference tournament before advancing to the regional finals of the NCAA tournament.
The Wildcats also got a head start on their 2011 class with Wednesday's commitment from forward Michael Gilchrist, who ESPN Recruiting ranks at the nation's top junior. The 6-foot-7 forward was has been one of the country's most talked about prospects since his freshman season at St. Patrick High School in Elizabeth, N.J. Gilchrist picked the Wildcats over a list of suitors that included Villanova, Texas and Georgia Tech.
Although the biggest developments of the day dealt with college basketball's winningest program, there was big news for a few mid-major programs on Wednesday. Top-50 prospects Ray McCallum, of Detroit's Country Day High School, and Trey Zeigler, of Mount Pleasant (Mich.) High, elected to play their college ball for some coaches they are very familiar with -- their fathers.
McCallum, one of the nation's top point guards, will suit up for his father, Ray McCallum, Sr., at Detroit. Zeigler, a gifted shooting guard, will play for his father, Ernie Zeigler, at Central Michigan.
Tags: josh selby, ray mccallum, trey zeigler, austin rivers, michael gilchrist, trey zeigler, brandon knight, josh selby, espnu, kentucky sports radio
