Kentucky Wildcats Basketball: Kyle Wiltjer Commits for 2011

The University of Kentucky picked up yet another commitment for its 2011 recruiting class on Saturday night in the form of power forward Kyle Wiltjer.

Wiltjer made the announcement during halftime of the Boost Mobile Elite 24, a game that annually features 24 of the nation's best high-school basketball players. He selected Kentucky over Wake Forest, California, Gonzaga, and Texas.

The most intriguing aspect of Wiltjer's commitment is the fact that he had never taken an official visit to UK's campus. This made the decision a bit of a surprise in the recruiting world.

Wiltjer explained his rationale for choosing Kentucky by citing Coach Calipari and Kentucky's recruiting class for 2011. He told ESPN that he wanted to be a part of the best recruiting class in the nation and he thought that Coach Calipari was the best coach to help him "achieve greatness."

Wiltjer is unanimously viewed as a five-star recruit and is ranked as the No. 25 player in the class of 2011 according to Rivals.com. He is the third top-25 recruit to commit to the Wildcats in 2011, joining No. 2-ranked Marquis Teague, No. 3-ranked Michael Gilchrist, and No. 6-ranked Anthony Davis.

He is a 6'9'', 225 pound forward who seems to be a perfect fit for Coach Calipari's dribble-drive offense. He has a solid array of post moves and shows a great knack for rebounding. Yet, his passing and shooting abilities are what put him over the top.

Wiltjer displays excellent court vision and is an outstanding passer out of the post. Additionally, he is an exceptional outside shooter. His ability to knock down three-pointers in transition will help in putting a lot more pressure on opposing defenses.

Kentucky will be very hard to defend in 2011 because of the versatility of each of the incoming players. The three forwards—Gilchrist, Davis, and Wiltjer—can all play inside-out, meaning they can score in the post, drive the ball, or shoot from the perimeter. Meanwhile, Teague will be able to push the tempo up and down the court, leading to a lot of fast breaks and easy baskets.

Wiltjer's commitment not only solidifies Kentucky as having the best recruiting class in the nation for 2011; it also puts them into the conversation with Kentucky's 2009 class, which included NBA first-rounders John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, and Daniel Orton.

It is a bit too early to definitively say which of the two classes is superior as the 2011 class hasn't yet been finalized. The Wildcats will likely add another couple of players to the class before all is said and done, and they can still be found on the lists of top-100 recruits around the country.