Fansided

5-star SG Antonio Blakeney commits to Louisville Cardinals

By Andrew Coppens

Mar 8, 2014; Uncasville, CT, USA; The Louisville Cardinals mascot on the court during a break on the action against the Houston Cougars during the second half in the quarterfinal round of the American League Athletic Conference Tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena. Louisville defeated Houston 88-43. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 8, 2014; Uncasville, CT, USA; The Louisville Cardinals mascot on the court during a break on the action against the Houston Cougars during the second half in the quarterfinal round of the American League Athletic Conference Tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena. Louisville defeated Houston 88-43. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Louisville basketball enters a new era in a basketball-rich conference, as it joins the ACC for the 2014-15 season. Ahead of that move though, the Cardinals have continued to hit the recruiting trail as hard as anyone in the country. That hard work appears to be paying off.

More from Mens Basketball

On Thursday night, 5-star shooting guard Antonio Blakeney gave his verbal commitment to Rick Pitino and the Cardinals. He joins three other commits in one of the most impressive classes in the country.

Blakeney, 6-4, 170-pounds, is from Sarasota (Fla.) Oak Ridge High School, and is a high scoring guard with great defensive ability thanks to a long wingspan and great footwork. It’s that combination that leads him to be the No. 16-ranked player in the country according to the 247Sports composite rankings. He’s also the No. 3-ranked shooting guard and the No. 2-ranked player in the state of Florida.

With his commitment the Cardinals now own the No. 2-ranked class in the country for 2015. Blakeney’s verbal helped Louisville move up one spot in the national rankings. The Cardinals class is also tops in the ACC, with Syracuse a close second.

Louisville’s four-player class features Blakeney as a 5-star player, but also has three 4-star players in the fold. Joining Blakeney in the backcourt is high 4-star rated shooting guard Donovan Mitchell out of Brewster Academy in New Hampshire.

That duo could be one of the more dynamic to come in to college basketball for the 2015-16 season, and a reason to be optimistic that Louisville is going to be a major force for the ACC title in the foreseeable future.