Kelly Oubre is off the board.
“Blessed to say that I have committed to Kansas University,” he Tweeted.
The 6-foot-6 forward from Henderson (NV) Findlay Prep played about as well as anyone on the summer circuit, and is currently projected as the No. 13 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by DraftExpress.com.
“If he goes to Kansas, he’s a tremendous acquisition for them, tremendous,” longtime New York recruiting expert Tom Konchalski told SNY.tv.
“He plays with the metabolism of a hummingbird. He has extremely high energy. His motor is never off and he’s always in attack mode. He’s a left-hander who slices to the basket, has very quick second- and third- jump. Has a pretty good mid-game. He’s not a very consistent 3-point threat right now, and that’s something he has to work on. At his size, he’s a small forward, possibly even a two guard down the road. He has tremendous athleticism, which is only trumped by his energy level.
“He’s a winner. You look for holes in his game, but that’s like looking for blemishes in the Mona Lisa.”
Oubre had been down to Kansas and Kentucky and told SNY.tv this past weekend he hoped to decide soon after his Kentucky visit. He then opted to cancel that trip.
“Probably shortly after I go there,” Oubre told SNY.tv Saturday night from USA Basketball in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Oubre arrived in Colorado earlier Saturday after taking an official visit to Kansas for “Late Night in the Phog.”
“It was love , man,” Oubre said. “I loved it a lot.”
Asked what head coach Bill Self and the staff told him his role there would be, Oubre said, “Just filling in for Andrew [Wiggins]. Of course he’s going to the league this year so they just need another big wing to come in and just fill that spot. He pretty much told me everything’s there for me.”
He added: “I love their chemistry and all the things that they displayed on their visit. The personalities and the love from the fans and everything. It was a pretty good experience.”
Oubre was to head to Kentucky for “Big Blue Madness” the same weekend Stanley Johnson, James Blackmon Jr. and others will be there.
“They just need to replace seven guys,” Oubre said of Kentucky. “They need some more wings. They pretty much need to fill every spot. They’re recruiting a heavy class again this year and thats what they’re going to continue to do.”
Without Oubre, Kentucky remains in the mix for Johnson, Blackmon Jr. and Devin Booker on the wing and should land at least one of them.
For more on Johnson, click here. And for more on Blackmon, click here.
Photo: USA Basketball
