Julius Randle was expected to miss the remainder of his senior season after injuring his foot in this November game. Instead he returned to lead Prestonwood Christian to its second private school state title in a row.
Photo by Jim Redman
Five-star power forward
Julius Randle delivered a verbal commitment to Kentucky live via ESPNU Wednesday.
Randle's pledge gives the Wildcats one of the most impressive collections of talent in a single recruiting class in college basketball history.
Joining Randle – the No. 4 overall prospect in MaxPreps.com's Class of 2013 Top 100 – en route to Lexington are star twin guards
Andrew and
Aaron Harrison (Nos. 2 and 3 overall, respectively), Michigan guard
James Young (No. 8), 6-foot-10 center
Dakari Johnson (No. 9), springy forward
Marcus Lee (No. 24) and in-state standout
Derek Willis (No. 100).
According to his coach at
Prestonwood Christian (Plano, Texas), getting on the same page with fellow alpha dogs like the Harrisons and Young won't be an issue for Randle.
"He's super competitive and loves the challenge," Prestonwood Christian head coach Chris Mayberry said. "He's such a great teammate, so unselfish and so coachable, he will be fine with all that."
Incredibly, UK's master recruiter John Calipari is still in the hunt for Top 10 talents
Andrew Wiggins (No. 1 overall) and
Aaron Gordon.
Randle, a 6-8, 235-pound force of nature, suffered a foot injury in November and was expected to miss the remainder of his senior year at Prestonwood Christian. But Randle returned to lead the Lions to a state championship and was a late add for the McDonald's All-American Game, where he will join five of his future Wildcat teammates.
The Lions went 10-19 during the 2012-13 regular season without Randle, but rattled off a five-game win streak in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) Class 5A state tournament once he returned to capture the crown.
Randle scored 34 points and grabbed 20 rebounds in his final high school game, a 71-66 win over Nolan Catholic (Fort Worth) in the title game.
"The last five games was a culmination of all the work he put in," Mayberry said. "He was better than ever. He was better than the old Julius."
The Kentucky-bound phenom really shined as a junior at the suburban Dallas school, leading PCA to the prestigious City of Palms Classic title and another Texas private schools state crown.
Randle was also a major attraction on Nike's Elite Youth Basketball League circuit over the past two summers playing with the Texas Titans.
Florida, Kansas and Texas joined Kentucky as finalists for Randle's services.
