2013 point guard Demetrius Jackson
Two big-name recruits from the class of 2013 picked their schools Saturday, and both commitments could have an effect on Kentucky and Louisville.
First, The Wolfpacker reported that five-star point guard Anthony “Cat” Barber had committed to N.C. State. Barber had been the top uncommitted point guard in 2013 not named Andrew Harrison.
Harrison is expected to pick between UK and Maryland sometime next month, and some UK fans had expressed hope that the Cats would recruit Barber as a “back-up plan” in the event that Harrison went with the Terps. Barber said in interviews that he was interested in Kentucky and wanted the Cats to recruit him. The UK staff showed some early interest, but apparently decided not to pursue the Virginia native. He’s the No. 9 overall player in 2013, according to Scout.com’s rankings.
Louisville was one of the final schools on Barber’s list, but the Cardinals stopped recruiting him earlier this week. Highly touted juco point guard Chris Jones is on U of L’s campus this weekend.
Barber’s commitment to N.C. State leaves Demetrius Jackson as the top uncommitted point guard (other than Harrison). Jackson recently saw increased interest from UK and implied the Cats were in his top five. He made a significant climb in the rankings after a great summer, rising to No. 23 overall on Scout.com’s list.
24/7 Sports reported earlier this week that Notre Dame, Kansas and Illinois appeared to be the top three teams on Jackson’s list.
After Jackson, the top uncommitted point guard according to Scout’s rankings is Philadelphia’s Rysheed Jordan, who is the No. 10 point guard and No. 49 overall player. There’s been no indication that UK is recruiting Jordan.
Of course, if that Cats do miss on Harrison and Jackson, there’s always the possibility that either Ryan Harrow or Archie Goodwin could return for a second season at UK, though both are projected as first-round draft picks.
Saturday’s other big commitment came from Moses Kingsley, a top-50 player who was being recruited by Louisville but will instead play for Arkansas. Scout.com ranks Kingsley as the No. 6 center in the class of 2013.
Huntington Prep coach Rob Fulford announced Kingsley’s decision via Twitter.
Kingsley had been recovering from a bout of malaria, contracted on a recent visit home to Nigeria. Louisville assistant Wyking Jones recently visited the ailing player, and Kingsley was expected to make a trip to U of L later this month.
Instead, Kingsley will join 6-foot-8 power forward Bobby Portis in what is shaping up to be a stellar recruiting class for the Razorbacks. Portis is the No. 13 overall player in the Scout.com rankings.
