Trey Lyles is the newest member of Kentucky’s 2014 recruiting class.
The 6-foot-10, 255-pound Arsenal Tech (IN) power forward chose Kentucky over arch-rival Louisville on Tuesday afternoon on ESPNU.
“Next year I will be playing for the University of Kentucky,” Lyles, the No. 7 prospect in the ESPN 100, said on his 18th birthday.
“Just because Coach Cal’s record with players like me, what he’s able to do with guys such as myself, and just really getting us to the stage that we want to be at, which for me is the NBA. I want to be an All-Star,” he added. “And he’s had a lot of guys that have been able to step up to that stage and become All-Stars in the NBA. His overall pitch to me was just perfect and I think it’s going to be the best situation for myself.”
Projected as the No. 4 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by DraftExpress.com, Lyles becomes Kentucky’s fourth 2014 commitment, following 7-foot-1 center Karl Towns Jr., 5-foot-9 point guard Tyler Ulis and 6-foot-5 shooting guard Devin Booker, who committed just last week on Halloween.
If some or all of Marcus Lee, Dakari Johnson and Derek Willis remain at Kentucky next year as expected, Lyles and Towns Jr. will have company in the frontcourt.
That also bodes well for Kentucky in 2014-15 because they will have a mix of potential one-and-dones like Lyles as well as (sophomore) veterans.
After committing to Indiana as a freshman, Lyles de-committed in August. He then announced in late September that he had cut his suitors down to two schools: Kentucky and Louisville.
That set up an interesting recruiting showdown this year between old friends Rick Pitino and John Calipari.
“The closeness to home was a big deal,” Lyles told the Indy Star at the time. “Of course, the coaches too. Both of them have won national championships and both have developed players and put them in the NBA. Going on the visits that I have to both schools, they make you feel like you are part of the family. Another big thing was the instruction the coaches give. It’s not just the assistants, but the head coaches doing a lot of the instruction.”
Lyles had in-home visits with both schools in September, according to the Indy Star. He visited Louisville over the summer and visited Kentucky Oct. 18 for Big Blue Madness.
“It definitely made (a decision) tougher,” Lyles told the Indy Star of the home visits. “The programs both offer a lot and the coaches both talked kind of the same way about how they want to use me – as a stretch ’4′ who can go on the perimeter. They both kind of talked the same way and definitely have a lot behind them with putting guys in the NBA and winning national championships.”
His father previously told SNY.tv Trey would sign in the spring, but will now sign in the fall.
Lyles is a special player, a Canadian who could potentially be as good or better than recent Canadian lottery picks Anthony Bennett (No. 1 in 2013) and Tristan Thompson (No. 4 in 2012).
“Trey is kind of a unique player because he is borderline 6-11 and 255 pounds, but he’s a point forward,” his dad, Tom Lyles, previously told SNY.tv. “There’s not many guys that size that can bring all those things to the table… he can play 1 through 5.”
Asked about the Canadian influx, Lyles said, “Guys like Anthony Bennett that are getting drafted No. 1 in the NBA are just really setting the stage high for us to make it.”
