It’s KU or UCLA for high school center Ernest Udeh, Jr., and decision day’s coming soon

Gary Bedore
·3 min read

Elite high school senior big man Ernest Udeh Jr., who made an official recruiting visit to Kansas last weekend, will choose between KU and UCLA at 6 p.m. Central Time on Wednesday, Oct. 20, he announced Wednesday on Twitter.

Udeh, a 6-foot-10 and 230-pound basketball standout from Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, has eliminated Baylor, Florida, Tennessee, Michigan, Alabama, Miami, and Georgia Tech from his list of possible schools.

Of KU, he told on3.com: “They’ve had a lot of success with their bigs. That has a lot of value to me considering I want to get to the next level. Their whole coaching staff are a bunch of genuine guys.”

Of UCLA, he said: “If I go there, I’d be able to make an impact right away. We recently had a Zoom the other day and they walked me through how I’d fit in. If you were to ask me today about how I feel about them… I feel really good about them.”

Udeh is rated as the No. 27-ranked player in the recruiting Class of 2022 by 247sports.com, No. 29 by Rivals.com and No. 38 by ESPN.com.

“He’s a strong, explosive athlete that both protects the rim on defense and tries to rip the rim down with dunks every time he’s in the paint on offense. His aggressive disposition and his willingness to work on his game and be coachable will take him a long way,” wrote Dan McDonald of Rivals.com.

Jordan Walsh to announce choice Thursday

Jordan Walsh, a 6-7, 195-pound senior small forward from Link Year Prep in Branson, Missouri, who also visited KU last weekend, will announce his college choice at 5 p.m. Thursday.

Walsh will reveal his future school on the Instagram Live page of Paul Biancardi, national recruiting director for ESPN.

The Cedar Hill, Texas native has visited KU, Arkansas, Texas, TCU, Oklahoma, Memphis and Arizona State. Arkansas is said to be the favorite for Walsh, who is ranked No. 7 in the recruiting Class of 2022 by ESPN.com, No. 31 by Rivals.com and No. 38 by 247sports.com.

“The smart money is probably on Texas or Arkansas, and I’d give the slight edge to Eric Musselman’s Hogs as things stand,” Rob Cassidy of Rivals.com wrote Tuesday.

The big picture in recruiting for KU

Ernest Udeh Jr., is one of three big men in the Class of 2022 who are currently being recruited by KU.

The others: Yohan Traore, 6-11, 227, senior, from Dream City Christian High School in Glendale, Arizona and Adem Bona, 6-10, 210, senior, from Prolific Prep in Napa, California. Traore is ranked No. 4 nationally by Rivals.com. No. 9 by 247sports.com and No. 29 by ESPN.com. Bona is ranked No. 10 nationally by 247sports.com, No. 17 by ESPN.com and No. 33 by Rivals.com.

KU has received commitments from three high school seniors in the recruiting Class of 2022.

They are:

  • Gradey Dick, a 6-7, 195-pound senior forward from Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas, who is ranked No. 25 in the recruiting Class of 2022 by ESPN.com, No. 35 by 247sports.com and No. 37 by Rivals.com

  • Zuby Ejiofor, a 6-8, 215-pound senior forward from Garland (Texas) High School, ranked No, 41 nationally by 247sports.com, No. 47 by Rivals.com and No. 77 by ESPN.com

  • MJ Rice, a 6-5 senior combo guard from Prolific Prep in Napa, California, who is ranked No. 20 nationally by ESPN.com, No, 23 by Rivals.com and No. 25 by 247sports.com.