And just like that, as quick as one can click “Tweet” on their phone, February 16 has become a monster day for the Kansas men’s basketball program.
That’s the day that Class of 2017 point guard Trae Young has pegged to make his decision on where he will play his college basketball.
Young announced the date Friday on Twitter, calling it “Commitment Day” and setting a noon, central, time for the announcement.
Young, one of the top remaining point guard targets in the class who has been at or near the top of KU’s wish list for months, is a 6-foot-2, 170-pound, five-star prospect from Norman (Okla.) North High, who is the son of former Texas Tech standout Rayford Young.
Recruiting analysts have believed for weeks that Young is down to Kansas and Oklahoma as his final two, and, if that is, in fact, the case, his decision will come down to choosing his hometown program or a blue blood to the north.
It’s not unlike the dilemma faced by four-star Lawrence High football prospect Amani Bledsoe, who juggled the decision to stay home and help the rebuilding Kansas program reach new heights or head to Oklahoma, where he was sure to play for a perennial contender in the national spotlight.
Young, who made an official visit to Kansas in the fall, was slated to make one final unofficial visit to campus during the past couple of weeks, but bad weather and bad luck — a rescheduled game eliminated the possibility of him visiting this weekend — took those opportunities away.
Because Kansas plays just one more home game before Feb. 16 — Monday, Feb. 13 vs. West Virginia — it could be tough for Young to get to Lawrence again before decision day. One thing of note about that WVU game: It comes on the anniversary of Young’s father scoring 41 points *against* Kansas for Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas.
Asked what he thought KU’s chances were of landing Young, recruiting analyst Matt Scott, of TheShiver.com, said:
“Led by Kansas coach Bill Self and assistant coach Norm Roberts, the Jayhawks have done a great job in the recruitment of Trae Young,” Scott said. “Kansas has been recruiting Young for about three years and the Jayhawks have remained one of the schools to beat. The Sooners have also done a great job in recruiting Young. I believe it’s a two-school race and I also believe that the race is as close to dead even as you can get.
“Having Young on campus again would certainly help the Jayhawks, especially since he recently met with the OU coaching staff and went to the OU-OSU game. This one will likely go down to the wire.”
It’s been a long process, but now it’s time…??? pic.twitter.com/7KCZKtC7Q3
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) February 3, 2017
