Kentucky Lands Top Recruit Brandon Knight

Brandon Knight should step right in for John Wall at Kentucky. (AP Images)

Did college basketball fans in places like Syracuse, Kansas, Florida and Connecticut really think that they would actually get No. 1 recruit Brandon Knight over John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats?

Of course Coach Cal has become known as the pre-eminent coach of a one-and-done superstar freshman point guard, and Knight, the two-time Gatorade National Player of the Year out of Fort Lauderdale (Pine Crest), Fla., has chosen to follow players like Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans and John Wall to play under Calipari. Knight made the decision live on ESPNU on Wednesday afternoon, choosing UK over fellow finalist Kansas.

The 6-foot-4 Knight averaged 32.5 points per game as a senior (finishing with 3,515 for his career, second most in Florida prep history) to go along with 8.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.5 steals. With all of the defections that Kentucky suffered from last season, including guards Wall and Eric Bledsoe, Knight should step in and start right away. Currently Calipari has Knight and fellow Top 100 prospects Enes Kanter -- a 6-9 center out of Stoneridge Prep (Calif.) and forward Stacey Poole of Providence School (Jacksonville, Fla.) committed.

Kentucky still is in the mix for top prospects Josh Selby, a guard out of Baltimore, Oak Hill Academy guard Doron Lamb, Raleigh (N.C.) forward C.J. Leslie, Portland (Ore.) forward Terrence Jones and others. Selby is the highest-rated player left on most experts’ boards and is likely to choose between UK and Kansas. Both Selby and Lamb will make their decisions known on Saturday – some reports say Selby already has said he will sign with Kansas.

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