Jarred Vanderbilt announces pledge to Kentucky
It looks as if the Christmas gifts have come a little early for John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats, as five-star Houston (TX) Victory Prep forward Jarred Vanderbilt made a surprise commitment to the Wildcats Friday morning.
Houston, TX
"I felt like Kentucky had a family atmosphere when I went out there," Vanderbilt said in an interview on ESPNU following his commitment. "Coach Cal is a Hall of Fame coach and a great personnel coach. I feel like he does the best developing his players on and off the court."
Vanderbilt, a 6-foot-8 combo forward, is one of the most unique players in the Class of 2017. With his length and versatility, he can play and guard multiple positions on the floor. Vanderbilt poses many problems for other teams with his size, skill-set, and explosiveness.
He averaged 13.5 points and 10.9 rebounds on the Nike EYBL travel circuit with Houston Hoops this past travel season.
Vanderbilt's recruitment has been through several different turns and maneuvers. Early in his high school career, many thought Kentucky could get an early commitment from the talented forward. Nevertheless, Texas made up ground following the hiring of Shaka Smart. In recent months, TCU received a lot of the buzz surrounding his recruitment.
"Kentucky is just a great opportunity for me to excel at," Vanderbilt mentioned as another reason for choosing the SEC program.
Vanderbilt chose Kentucky over Oregon, North Carolina, and TCU. He becomes the fifth member of Caliper's 2017 recruiting class, joining Nick Richards, Quade Green, P.J. Washington, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
