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College basketball signing day: 5-star forward VJ King signs with Louisville

By Mike Rutherford
Francois Nel/Getty Images

After a long day of waiting that had many Cardinal fans pacing, the crown jewel of Rick Pitino's 2016 recruiting class has officially signed his name on the dotted line.

VJ King, a five-star forward who is rated as the No. 21 overall player in the class of 2016 by Scout.com, has officially signed to play his college ball for Louisville. King picked the Cards back in June over Kentucky, Arizona, Connecticut and Virginia.

A rangy 6'7 small forward, King originally played his high school ball at St. Vincent-St. Mary's (the school best-known for producing LeBron James) in Ohio before moving to Virginia two summers ago. He averaged 18.5 points per game as a junior last season for Paul VI, one of the strongest private school programs in the Washington D.C. area. He then spent the spring and summer starring for the D.C.-based Team Takeover program on the Nike EYBL AAU circuit.

King has a Montrezl Harrell-esque wingspan and the athleticism to go along with it. He's a smooth operator with the ball in his hands, and can handle and pass like a two guard. He's also a terrific finisher who uses his length to make acrobatic moves around the rim. Shot selection has been something of an issue for King, but the same can be said for 99% of the five-star basketball recruits in the world.

Here's King in action as a junior:

Congrats to VJ on officially becoming a Cardinal.

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