Early Monday morning Kentucky picked up its third commitment in the class of 2017 when Shai Alexander tweeted he was pledging to UK.
The four-star point guard is ranked No. 53 in his class but didn't have a chance to shine during during the summer because he elected to play for his native Canadian National Team instead of sticking around the AAU circuit for the duration of the summer.
"I'd like to first thank God for opening so many doors for me. I'm thankful for the support received from my family, friends, teammates and coaches that have shaped me to be the person I am today. Much thanks to the coaching staff and fans at Florida for being patient with me through this process and wishing you nothing but success. I would like to also thank the other coaches and programs that recruited me. Special thanks to my Uplay family and my family at Hamilton Heights! I am pleased to announce that I will pursue my college education and athletics at the University of Kentucky next year. #BBN"
The 6-foot-4, 165-pound Alexander becomes the first guard to commit to UK in 2017, although he will certainly not be the last.
Things moved quickly for the Chattanooga, Tenn., Hamilton Heights Christian star. Originally committed to Florida, Alexander backed off his pledge to the Gators in the middle of October. After opening his recruitment a flood of schools reached out, including Kentucky.
UK sent assistant coach Joel Justus down to watch Alexander and the following week John Calipari visited and offered. Just days later Alexander officially visited UK and a week later he set a decision date.
Alexander picked Kentucky over Florida, Syracuse, UNLV and Texas.
It's tough to say exactly what UK will be getting in Alexander. When most players make a name for themselves in the Nike, adidas or Under Armour circuits over the summer, Alexander was gaining experience playing with professionals on the Canadian National Team.
Before leaving his Team Portis Wings Elite AAU team on the Nike EYBL circuit, Alexander was having a nice season. He averaged 15.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists in nine games.
Now that Alexander has committed to UK, the Cats will have to wait and see who joins him in the back court. UK has offers out to point guards Quade Green and Trae Young. Both players have Kentucky in their top two but it's no guarantee either end up in Lexington. Kentucky has also offered shooting guards Hamidou Diallo and Lonnie Walker.
With Kentucky losing Dominique Hawkins and Mychal Mulder to graduation, and with Isaiah Briscoe, Malik Monk and De'Aaron Fox likely heading to the draft after this season, the Cats will need bodies next season.
Starting with a steady player like Alexander that can knockdown shots but also distribute is a nice start, but the Cats will have to find players to play with Alexander.
Check back in with Cats Illustrated later to get quotes from Alexander and his high school coach.