Louisville coach Rick Pitino added to his tremendous 2011 recruiting class Monday by landing 6-foot-4 Georgia guard Kevin Ware during an official visit.
The No. 18 shooting guard in the Class of 2011 according to Rivals, Ware initially committed to Tennessee as a sophomore and signed his Letter of Intent in November. He then was given his release when former coach Bruce Pearl was fired.
He committed to Central Florida in April, but decommitted after reports surfaced that a street agent was involved in his recruitment.
“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.”
The Conyers, Ga., native will sign a financial aid agreement and joins a recruiting class that includes power forward Chane Behanan, center Zach Price and small forwards Wayne Blackshear, Ryan Taylor and Angel Nunez.
“Coach Pitino was a little confused on how everything all went down in April, but he knows how crazy recruiting can get,” Junior told the AJC. “[Pitino] made it a point to tell Kevin that he appreciated him making the effort get up to Louisville and meet the players and coaches.
“It was a chance for Kevin to get to know more about Louisville, and Louisville to know more about Kevin. Kevin liked it so much that he let on Sunday night that was going to commit. Then he decided to make it official with Coach Pitino today.
“Kevin said ‘I’m ready to be a Louisville Cardinal’ and [Pitino] was ecstatic. He congratulated Kevin and said he was excited about him being part of the program.”
