Camden County's Gilchrist to play for Kentucky

As expected, Michael Gilchrist will become a Kentucky Wildcat.

The prized prospect from Somerdale, Camden County, orally committed Wednesday to play college basketball at Kentucky. The 6-foot-7 junior swingman, who plays for St. Patrick High School in Elizabeth N.J., cannot sign a binding national letter of intent until November.

"I like Coach Cal [Kentucky coach John Calipari]," said Gilchrist, who is regarded as the top college prospect by both Scout.com and Rivals.com, regardless of class. "Everybody knows that. It's something about Coach Cal that I love about him. I love his attitude to the game, and his players are outstanding."

In selecting Kentucky, the 16-year-old broke the hearts of Villanova fans. He had listed Kentucky and Villanova as the front-runners in his recruiting. Oregon was a distant third.

Gilchrist said he made his announcement Wednesday as a way to honor his late father, Michael "Gil" Gilchrist. Gilchrist, who played at Camden High and Benedict College in South Carolina, was killed 14 years ago in a violent crime. He would have been 44 years old Wednesday.

"It's a special day to me," said Gilchrist, who wore jersey No. 31 because that was his father's high school number. "I don't even know how to explain it."

To honor his father's birth date (April 14), he will switch to No. 14 next season and in college.

Switching jersey numbers was a bigger surprise than his selection of Kentucky. Many on the recruiting scene believed he was always going to play for Calipari. That's because Gilchrist revealed in 2007 that he wanted to play for Calipari at Memphis. Last April, Calipari became the head coach at Kentucky. And since Gilchrist's uncle, William Wesley, and Calipari are close friends, people thought he was a lock to play wherever Calipari coached.

But last summer, Gilchrist said Kentucky and Villanova were neck-and-neck. So what happened?

"I liked Villanova and [coach] Jay Wright, a lot," Gilchrist said. "But it was always something about Coach Cal, like I said."

He wasn't the only hotshot recruit to commit to Kentucky on Wednesday. Slated to join the Wildcats this fall are Pine Crest High School (Fla.) point guard Brandon Knight, Providence School (Fla.) small forward Stacey Poole, and Stone Ridge Prep (Calif.) power forward Enas Kanter.

Knight is the nation's top recruit in the Class of 2010, according to Rivals.com. Poole is ranked 27th in the class by the Web site. Kanter, a native of Turkey, is regarded as one of the top international players.

Knight, Poole, and Kanter should all see playing time next season; Kentucky freshmen Eric Bledsoe, DeMarcus Cousins, Daniel Orton, and John Wall and junior Patrick Patterson have entered their names in this year's NBA draft. All five players are projected as first-round picks.

Once Gilchrist arrives on campus in the fall of 2011, he will most likely become Kentucky's top prospect.

A great talent, he can effectively guard anyone except the center on defense. He scores with ease from out to 15 feet. More than just a scorer, Gilchrist is an exceptional ball handler, shot-blocker, and finisher.

He averaged 16.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, and three blocked shots a game this season at St. Patrick, ranked sixth nationally by USA Today.

"I see a guy who has a significant ceiling," said Dave Telep, Scout.com's national basketball recruiting analyst. "I see a guy who has unmatched desire to win. I see a young kid that has so much more room to get better."