Elite Chicago Recruit Charles Matthews Chooses Kentucky Over Illinois, Others
(CBS) Chicago St. Rita junior Charles Matthews, a 6-foot-4 guard rated as the nation's 11th-best prospect in the 2015 class by Rivals.com, verbally committed to Kentucky on Wednesday morning in a ceremony at his high school.
Matthews chose John Calipari's Wildcats over fellow finalists Michigan State, Kansas, Illinois and Marquette. After being aggressively pursued, Matthews surprised fans and college suitors alike with his decision, as many thought the process would drag out more.
"I just had a gut feeling from since the first day I went there," Matthews told the Chicago Tribune. "It was pointless to me to continue dragging it along. I didn't want to do that to the other coaches who were recruiting me. I had a good feeling about Kentucky and the coaching staff, so I went ahead and pulled the trigger."
Calipari also has a commitment from Marian Catholic senior point guard Tyler Ulis.