Kevin Ware chooses a school, finally

It finally appears as if Kevin Ware's recruitment is over.

Ware, who ranks 88th in the country in the consensus recruiting rankings, is headed to Louisville.

The 6'4" product of Rockdale County High School in Georgia had one of the stranger recruiting processes. He originally committed to Tennessee as a sophomore in high school, signing his NLI back in November. But with the shenanigans that Bruce Pearl found himself tied up in, Ware eventually got a release from the school. He then committed to Central Florida, but de-committed just 10 days later when Pete Thamel and Pat Forde exposed potential recruiting violations, including Ware's.


"It has been a long journey, with a few twists and turns, and now it’s all done,” Ware’s stepfather, Wesley Junior, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“Kevin is excited about the opportunity to learn the game of basketball from Coach Pitino, who has been successful on every level. Kevin couldn’t pass on that opportunity. Kevin’s excited, we’re excited and Coach Pitino is excited."

Louisville never let up on Ware, and now it is finally paying off. Ware joins a recruiting class that includes two all-americans in Wayne Blackshear and Chane Behanan, four-star center Zach Price, and three-star wing Angel Nunez.

It is worth noting that this commitment by Ware may have some ripple effects. The Cardinals are thought to be the favorite for Juwan Staten. Staten, if you remember, started at the point for Dayton as a freshman -- leading the A-10 in assists -- before opting to transfer when Brian Gregory left. He committed to Penn State, but with Ed DeChellis taking the job at Navy, Staten is reopening his recruitment. He would be eligible in 2012-2013.

Ware's commitment may also have an effect on sophomore-to-be Russ Smith. Smith was supposed to be Peyton Siva's back-up this past season, but he lost the job to Elisha Justice.

Since Ware was released from his Letter of Intent to Tennessee, he cannot sign another LOI with another school. That means that when he finally does put his pen to paper at Louisville, he will only be signing an athletic-aid agreement. Athletic-aid agreements are only binding for the school, not the athlete, which means that if Ware once again gets cold feet, he will be able to reopen his recruitment.

Again.

Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
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Kevin Ware de-commits from UCF

Kevin Ware, make a decision already.

The athletic scoring guard that has cracked the top 50 in some recruiting lists has now, officially, de-committed from Central Florida.

"There's a lot of stuff going on right now, personal stuff that I don't really want to speak about right now," Ware told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I spoke with my family about everything, and I decided it was time to back off on UCF."

This caps off what has been a whirlwhind few weeks for Ware and for the programs pursuing him. Earlier this month, Ware was allowed out of the Letter of Intent he signed with Tennessee after meeting with Bruce Pearl's replacement, Cuonzo Martin. Last week, Ware committed to Central Florida over the likes of Louisville and Georgia, but that commitment always seemed to be on shaky ground. There were reports from guys like Dave Telep and Evan Daniels that Ware didn't appear to be 100% committed. The fact that he was announced at the Derby Classic, a high school all-star in Kentucky last weekend, as uncommitted didn't help matters.

Ware needs to make a decision and stick with it.

I have no problem with him waiting to sign. He has until mid-May to decide. What I do have a problem with is the flip-flopping. Committed, uncommitted, committed, uncommitted. Is he trying to drive up exposure for himself? Does he want to read his name in the paper and on Scout and Rivals? Not all publicity is good publicity. Ware may be a top 50 recruit, but rarely are top 50 recruits program changers. Is this very public indecisiveness really the best way to drum up interest from other schools?

The worst part is that Ware isn't the only one affected here. Central Florida ran-off Isaac Sosa, a junior that averaged 8.0 ppg last season, in an effort to open up a scholarship for Ware.

This is a huge decision for Ware. I fully support him taking the time to make the correct decision for himself and his family.

But he doesn't need to have every thought during the process get leaked to the media.
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Kevin Ware adds to an impressive recruiting class at UCF

Donnie Jones has added another piece to the impressive recruiting haul he has at Central Florida.

Kevin Ware, a top 50 recruit that was released from his NLI to Tennessee after Bruce Pearl was fired, has committed to UCF. The athletic scoring guard joins Michael Chandler (who is one of the best centers in the class of 2011), Rod Days, Wayne Martin, and Kasey Wilson. Jones will also get a trio of impressive transfers eligible this season -- Tristan Spurlock (a former top 100 recruit from Virginia), Josh Crittle (Oregon), and Jeffrey Jordan (Illinois).

That group of eight newcomers will join a UCF team that climbed to as high as top 20 in the polls this past season before losing their first eight Conference USA games. The Golden Knights return Marcus Jordan, Keith Clanton, and AJ Rompza as well.

Central Florida has long been referred to as a sleeping giant in the college basketball ranks.

The program may no longer be 'sleeping'. UCF may be the second best team in the league next season, behind Memphis.
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