by: Justin Walker
Moments ago, Braydon Hawthorne, the top player in the state of West Virginia, and the number 33 player in the nation per 247 Sports, announced his commitment to Kentucky. In addition to WVU, the Beckley native held offers from major programs like Pitt, Duke, and Virginia Tech. Hawthorne made his announcement live on 247 Sports’ YouTube channel.
The 6 foot 8 inch forward had previously committed to and signed with West Virginia early in the Darian DeVries tenure. He chose to reopen his recruitment after DeVries left for Indiana. By this time, many other major programs had taken notice of the Huntington Prep star. He climbed up the recruiting rankings quickly once he committed to DeVries and WVU.
New Mountaineer coach Ross Hodge was at least able to keep WVU in the mix. Hawthorne took a visit to Morgantown in April to meet the new coach. That visit was followed by visits to Kentucky, Duke and Pitt. He had already taken a visit to Virginia Tech a few days prior to coming to Morgantown. Hawthorne has a connection to former WVU assistant, Chester Frazier, who is now on the staff in Blacksburg.
Losing out on Hawthorne was not a huge surprise, especially to a school like Kentucky. The 175 pound forward credited his relationship with Mark Pope and the Kentucky staff as his primary reason for choosing the Wildcats.
Photo Credit: Kentucky Athletics
