Shabazz Muhammad: Kentucky is Obvious Choice After Latest Announcement

National Player of the Year Shabazz Muhammad is making hoop junkies across the country wait on pins and needles for his decision on where he’ll suit up next year.

With five schools still in the running, hope was scattered all around the country. Before Wednesday’s McDonald’s All-American game, Muhammad shattered the hopes of USC and UNLV when he listed his three finalists, as tweeted by Jon Rothstein of the CBS Sports Network:  

While he has intensified the drama for this race, it’s hard to believe he goes anywhere besides Lexington, KY where the Big Blue nation resides.

John Calipari has mastered the system of landing the top few recruits in a given class and squeezing everything out of them in the one year they are among the collegiate ranks. Then those guys go on to be Derrick Rose and John Wall. Obviously, that’s Muhammad’s goal and no program can get him there quicker than Kentucky.

Muhammad has already displayed the diva-like tendencies by stretching out this entire recruiting process while virtually every other player committed a long time ago.

But that’s perfect for Kentucky.

The program has dealt with the monster egos of Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Brandon Knight in the past three years and can certainly handle another one, especially after reading the ESPN scouting report on the Las Vegas native:

"

Muhammad is a scoring machine at this level that uses his chiseled physique and electrifying athleticism to get to the rim at will. He rebounds on both ends and is a capable lock down defender. Muhammad can get into a scoring groove and drop big numbers. Each class has a prospect that is willing to do anything to win. For the class of 2011 it was Kentucky-bound Michael Gilchrist. For the class of 2012, it appears to be Muhammad.

"

Guess who Muhammad will likely be replacing?

Mr. Kidd-Gilchrist.

It’s a natural fit and with the incredibly successful season Kentucky is currently having, this is the school all of the top players want to attend in 2012. Just ask Alex Poythress and Archie Goodwin, two of his fellow McDonald's All-American colleagues that are heading to Kentucky.

Expect Muhammad to land with the Wildcats whenever he decides to end this charade and put Duke and UCLA out of their misery.

Duke is going through a rare transition and UCLA is not ready to compete for a national title for at least a few more years.

Kentucky is the only choice that makes complete sense. Then again, this is an 18-year-old we’re talking about, so who knows what makes sense in his head.

But judging by the recent history of recruits…he’ll end up in Lexington. 

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