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Rick Pitino was one big name away from solidifying the 2015 Cardinal recruiting class as his best ever at Louisville. He isn't anymore.
Five-star shooting guard Antonio Blakeney announced on Twitter Thursday night that he plans on playing his college ball in The Ville.
Man it feels so good , all the hard work has paid off ,I will be attending the university of Louisville for college Coach p I'm coming
— First 48 (@blakeney96) September 5, 2014
Most figured Blakeney was set to become the focal point of the latest high-profile recruiting battle between Rick Pitino and John Calipari, but the 6'4, 170-pound Orlando native chose to bring his recruitment to a halt two nights after returning home from his official visit to U of L.
"I've been wanting to commit," Blakeney told Scout.com. "I knew I was going there for two months. I just wanted to see everything and compare everything. Nothing was better.
"I feel like it's the best situation for me," he added. "I know coach P can help me reach my full potential. He didn't miss any of my games in July," Blakeney said of Pitino. "He didn't miss one. That was a big thing right there."
Blakeney, who is currently rated as the No. 15 overall player in the class of 2015 by 247 Sports, has been one of Pitino's top targets for more than a year. He averaged 25.2 points, five rebounds and 3.6 assists last season as a junior at Oak Ridge High School, and then spent the summer starring on the AAU circuit.
Here's a little bit of what he can do:
Blakeney joins fellow top 100 recruits Donovan Mitchell, Deng Adel and Ray Spalding in making up Pitino's loaded 2015 class, which is now rated as the best in the country by Scout.
Toss some confetti if you have it handy, because the Louisville Cardinals are going to be pretty good for a pretty long time.
