Antonio Blakeney to Louisville: Cardinals Land 5-Star Guard Prospect

The Louisville Cardinals 2015 recruiting class was already ranked in the top five according to 247Sports’ composite rankings, and it got a lot stronger Thursday.

Jeff Borzello of CBSSports passed along the news of Antonio Blakeney’s commitment, but it was Blakeney himself who broke the story on Twitter:

Fellow 2015 top recruit Donovan Mitchell commented on the big signing via Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv:

Blakeney is a 6’4” and 170 pound shooting guard who checks in as a 5-star prospect on 247Sports. He is rated as the No. 16 player nationally in the class of 2015 and the No. 3 shooting guard and No. 2 player in the state of Florida.

There were a number of top-notch programs outside of Louisville that were in on Blakeney’s recruitment. LSU, Florida, Missouri, Florida State and Kentucky all pursued the shooting guard at some point, which makes Rick Pitino’s efforts all the more impressive.

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Not only did he beat out the in-state Gators, he out-recruited the rival Wildcats and John Calipari.

Blakeney’s high school coach Alex Jackson hinted that Louisville may be an ideal fit before the commitment, via Steve Jones of The Courier-Journal:

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We play a very similar style to (U of L), so I think it could be a smooth transition as a place he (could decide to attend)… We're an up-tempo team. We press full-court and do things they do similarly. We just do it on a high school level, so you can see the fit that would be there based off of that. But (Blakeney's recruitment) is wide-open thing, and he's just enjoying this time, which he deserves to do.

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It is no wonder so many highly regarded programs recruited Blakeney.

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

He is an offensive weapon who uses his athleticism to get to the rim off the bounce or pull up and hit mid-range jumpers. He is more than capable of getting out in transition, and his shooting range extends beyond the three-point line.

Perhaps most importantly, Blakeney can create his own shot on the outside, work off pick-and-rolls and spot up off a teammate’s pass. That versatility could help him contribute as a freshman for the Louisville program.