Villanova gets commitment from 6-10 Hershey center

Dylan Painter, a 6-foot-10, 215-pound center from Hershey High School, said Wednesday he had given an oral commitment to Villanova and will enroll in the freshman Class of 2016.

Painter averaged 17.8 points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.6 blocked shots last season and shot 55 percent from the field for Hershey. He is rated as a four-star prospect by Scout.com and at three stars by Rivals.com and 247Sports.

Painter, who had Villanova, St. Joseph's, Penn State, George Washington, Xavier, North Carolina State and Rhode Island as his finalists, said he liked Villanova's program "as a whole."

"They've had success the past couple of years," he said. "That's a big plus. As a culture, I liked the players, the coaches, the managers and everything. I really feel that's a place where I can reach my full potential."

Some recruiters called Painter "a late bloomer" and he agreed. He has shown versatility in being able to play inside and outside, and shot 40 percent last season from three-point range.

He said he had five offers at this time last year but that number grew to more than 30. He credited the extra attention to playing with Team Final, a Philadelphia-based travel team sponsored by Nike.

"It really exploded at that point," he said. "It was a great process but then it got a little bit overwhelming and it was time to make a decision."

Omari Spellman, a 6-8, 270-pound five-star forward from Springfield, Mass., also has committed to the Wildcats for 2016.