Neumann-Goretti 99 Mars 66 in boys' PIAA 3A state basketball final at Giant Center.
Neumann-Goretti's Quade Green shoots ahead of Mars' Christian Schmitt in Goretti's 99-66 win in the boys' PIAA 3A state basketball final at Giant Center.
(Sean Simmers | PennLive.com)
Philadelphia, Pa. — Quade Green chose the blue of Kentucky over the orange of Syracuse.
Green, a 6-1 senior point guard at Philadelphia's Neumann-Goretti High School, announced on Saturday night that he would go to Kentucky next year. He chose the Wildcats after narrowing his final choices to Kentucky and Syracuse. He had previously considered Duke, Villanova and Temple.
Green is the No. 22 player in the country, according to ESPN.com's rankings for the 2017 class.
Last year, Green averaged 22 points per game as a junior for Neumann-Goretti. He led the Saints to a 27-4 record and the Class AAA state title.
In a sense, Green's decision doesn't come as a shock. His commitment to Kentucky had been rumored for the past several days.
But Green's decision still cuts deep. The Syracuse coaching staff had been recruiting Green for much longer than Kentucky. Syracuse had offered Green a scholarship nearly a year before Kentucky entered the pictured.
In addition, the Syracuse coaches have established long-standing relationships with those around Green, including his high school and his AAU coaches.
Rick Jackson and Scoop Jardine both played at Green's Neumann-Goretti High School. Syracuse has also mined the Philadelphia area for the likes of Hakim Warrick, Dion Waiters, Rakeem Christmas, Malachi Richardson and Trevor Cooney.
Syracuse must now move on in its pursuit of recruits in the 2017 class.
Syracuse has one commitment from a current high school senior. Oshae Brissett, a 6-9 forward at Athlete Institute Prep in Mono, Ontario, committed to Syracuse a week ago.
Bourama Sidibe, a 6-11 center at St. Benedict's Prep in Newark, N.J., will announce his college choice on Monday. Sidibe has visited Syracuse, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. He's also been recruited by Seton Hall, Maryland and others.