Austin Nichols to Memphis: Tigers Land 5-Star Basketball Recruit

Austin Nichols, a 5-star power forward recruit, has elected to take his talents to the Memphis Tigers basketball program.

The 6’8”, 193-pounder told John Martin of The Commercial Appeal that he committed to the Tigers early on Monday morning: 

"

BREAKING: Briarcrest F Austin Nichols has committed to Memphis, he tells the CA. Story coming to the CA right now.

— John Martin (@JohnMartinCA) November 5, 2012"

CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish confirmed the news. Parrish had a chance to talk to Mark Nichols, Austin's father, and was told they made the decision after compiling a 58-page report on all available options:

"

Just talked to Mark Nichols, Austin's dad. Said they spent the past week assembling a 58-page report on all options. Settled on Memphis.

— Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) November 5, 2012"

According to Rivals, the Class of 2013 member had received offers from Auburn, Duke, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Virginia before choosing to play for coach John Pastner in his home state.

The Eads native attended Briarcrest Christian High School and had been visiting a number of prospective universities over the past two months. Before making the decision, Mark Nichols had this to say to Eric Bossi of Rivals:

"

I think we've been pretty stable. The degree and education matters a ton. The system they play and the coaching staff and all of that plays a big part. We're trying to stay on track with that and some schools are probably better as far as social fit maybe than others. But we're trying to keep everything focused on what makes it the best decision for Austin.

"

Nichols is by far the best recruit to commit to the Tigers from the Class of 2013 and could make an immediate impact on the floor for the team.

Keep it tuned right here on B/R for the latest news, updates, opinions and analysis on Nichols, the Memphis Tigers, basketball recruiting and much more.