Jamal Murray to Kentucky: Wildcats Land 4-Star SG Prospect

Jamal Murray gave the Kentucky Wildcats' basketball recruiting class a big boost on Wednesday when he announced his commitment to play in Lexington, per Evan Daniels of Scout.com.

Murray is a 4-star prospect out of Athlete Institute Basketball Academy. The Ontario, Canada, native is the seventh-ranked shooting guard in the country and 30th-best player in the class of 2015, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

Ben Roberts of the Lexington Herald-Leader reported Murray's thoughts on joining Kentucky, "I'm just looking forward to getting the job done and win a championship. That's what I'm there for."

Murray also commented on Kentucky's talented backcourt, per Roberts, "I trust (Cal) with how he’s going to play us, and we’re going to have a lot of fun with this.”

Roberts and Kyle Tucker of the Courier-Journal provided context for what Murray's commitment means for the Wildcats moving forward:

This is certainly a pleasant surprise for Kentucky, who saw Murray just reclassify from 2016 to this year on Sunday. Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com reported on the matter along with where Murray sees himself going in the 2016 NBA draft—far higher than DraftExpress.com's current mock slotting of 21st overall.

"I have some work to do, I think I can do a lot better than that," said Murray. "I see no reason why I shouldn’t be there [No. 1] in 2016."

At 6'5" and 180 pounds, Murray has some strength to add before he can achieve his full potential, but he has the skills to play either guard position. Strong passing ability and handles complement Murray's incredible shooting range and quick release, making him a lethal offensive threat from anywhere on the floor.

The immense confidence Murray obviously has could be a double-edged sword. It takes a degree of that swagger to succeed at a powerhouse like Kentucky, yet he also can't be discouraged if all doesn't go his way as a freshman.

Murray has his sights set on the NBA. Based on Wildcats coach John Calipari's track record, there's no better place to go than Lexington. Last year's squad lost its top seven scorers to Thursday's NBA draft.

But Calipari's strong recruiting classes have allowed him to reload more often than not during his Kentucky tenure. His persuasiveness was enough to pull Murray out of high school a year early, and now Murray will have the chance to prove himself at the NCAA's current model program for grooming future pros.