Wildcats reach out to 5 star center

The Kentucky Wildcats, this past season, didn't really have a starter that could play the 5 spot. Had he been eligble, it would have likely been Enes Kanter playing the 5. Josh Harrelson is borderline 4/5. Media guides list him as a forward but he jumped center for Kentucky. Eloy Vargas is listed as a center but played as a backup.

Jody Demling notes that the Wildcats have shown an interest in Mitch McGary, a 6'10" kid out of Chesterton, Indiana.

Some of the top colleges in the country have taken notice and are now calling, including Kentucky and Louisville.

When asked for a list of schools showing interest, McGary reeled off: Duke, Texas, Arizona, Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Indiana, Purdue, West Virginia, Connecticut, Kentucky, Kansas, Memphis and Louisville.

"I’m really wide open," McGary said. "I probably won’t make a decision until late."

McGary said Indiana has shown interest but noted, "I don’t know if they have any scholarships?" He said the interest from UK and U of L has been recent and he has talked with assistant coaches from both schools.

"They both said they wanted to recruit me pretty hard, so we’ll see," he said.

Some of the schools he already has offers from include: Texas, Arizona, Oregon State, Texas A&M, Cincinnati, Purdue, Indiana, Florida, Miami, Maryland, Marquette and Illinois.

McGary is listed in the rankings anywhere from the 60-80 range but most analysts believe he’ll be a top-30ish kid by the end of the summer.

Jody has some notes from his performance at the Adidas May Classic on Friday night:

I had been hearing all spring that one of the most improved players on the AAU circuit was SYF Players center Mitch McGary and those evaluations were dead on. While he didn’t score a ton, the 6-foot-10 McGary did a little bit of everything. He hustles, he scores, he rebounds, he talks his team up. SYF Player edged the Michigan Mustangs by one point after lead by 21. McGary has turned into one of the top 30 or so players in the Class of 2012. The former Chesterton (Ind.) star is now at Brewster Academy and his stock continues to soar with colleges all over the country.

Nation of Blue offers more information.

McGary has bursted on the AAU scene this spring and summer. He was formerly rated in the bottom 100 prospects my most recruiting services. Scout.com now ranks McGary as a five star and the number six center in the class of 2012.