Its official: Morris the Cat

For months, the rumors about where prep star Randolph Morris would play his collegiate basketball have run rampant. One week it was Kentucky, the next hometown school Georgia Tech.

Morris, a 6-foot-11, 250-pound center from Atlanta, finally made his decision on Thursday evening, with the Cats winning a long recruiting battle for his services with the hometown Yellow Jackets.

Showing a sense of humor, Morris stepped to the podium and announced he would enter the NBA Draft, paused and then yelled "psyche" to a roar of laughter. He then discussed the merits of Georgia Tech before switching gears and announcing for UK. Morris then donned a blue UK hat before a standing ovation.

"Georgia Tech was in the forefront of my recruiting since my ninth-grade year," he said. "... But the school that I will be attending in the fall of 2004 is the University of Kentucky. I felt more comfortable with their academic schemes, and their tradition speaks for itself. As of right now, I'm a Wildcat."

Morris said a couple of future teammates helped sway his final decision.

"It was a very hard decision for me because both schools are so dynamic," he said. "But after the McDonald's All-American Game is when I made my decision, playing with Rajon (Rondo) and Joe (Crawford). I felt like it would be a great opportunity to play with two other players like that.

"It was very close between Kentucky and Georgia Tech going into that game, but after playing with them and seeing how good they were, how I could be at ease with them, and how we could be successful together, I think that helped me make my decision."

Kentucky coach Tubby Smith was also a key factor in the final decision.

"His long track record and long resume spoke for themselves," Morris said. "He basically didn't have to be as involved. You could just look at his track record and what he has accomplished."

Morris' commitment gives Smith perhaps his most highly regarded class since arriving in Lexington. He also inked two other Top 25 players -- point guard Rajon Rondo and shooting guard Joe Crawford -- as well as Top 100 combo guard Ramel Bradley. Junior point guard Patrick Sparks will also be eligible after sitting out a transfer year from Western Kentucky.

Several recent events also played into UK's favor, including the abolition of the 5/8 rule that limited the number of players brought in on scholarship in any two-year period. Still full in the scholarship department, the transfer of sophomore power forward Bernard Coté on Wednesday night opened up a scholarship for Morris.

The addition of Morris will also fill a void in the post for the Cats. Erik Daniels graduated and the two 7-footers, Lukasz Obrzut and Shagari Alleyne, did not progress the way Smith had hoped they would throughout the season. Obrzut averaged just 1.2 points in 31 games, while Alleyne averaged 0.8 points in 18 games and had more missed dunks than field goals made.

Morris averaged 25 points, 16 rebounds and 4.5 blocked shots last season at Atlanta's Landmark Christian. He is ranked as the No. 3 center and No. 10 overall player in the nation by Rivals.com.