The recruitment of five-star power forward Skal Labissiere has been an interesting one to say the least, with the elite big returning to the court this summer after missing most of his junior year due to injury. Add in the controversy surrounding where he’ll be playing basketball this season, and Labissiere’s path to a college decision hasn’t been the most straightforward.
Thursday afternoon Labissiere revealed where he’ll play his college basketball next season, announcing that he’ll attend Kentucky. Kentucky beat out Baylor, Georgetown, Memphis, North Carolina and Tennessee for Labissiere’s commitment, and he becomes the latest in a long line of high-level recruits to make the pledge to John Calipari’s program.
The question now is who will Labissiere’s teammates will be in the front court next season, but given the track record of Calipari and his staff there’s no doubt that he won’t be alone. The Wildcats have a surplus of big men with eligibility remaining, including junior Willie Cauley-Stein, sophomore Dakar Johnson and freshmen Trey Lyles and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Who all returns remains to be seen, but Labissiere’s a very good start when it comes to accounting for any possible early departures.