Aaron Bradshaw’s commitment to Kentucky seemed imminent back in June, after the five-star center’s first official visit to Lexington. After he had pumped the brakes and pushed back his timeline, Bradshaw said that his mom wanted him to be certain. He then planned to visit UCLA and Texas. Then, there was a growing buzz that rivals were being considered. Louisville or the NBA’s G League might be successfully swaying him. Then he set Nov. 16, the final day of college basketball’s early signing period, as the date he would announce a decision. Everyone was worried about what this might mean for John Calipari, but the Wildcats coach was quiet confident.
Bradshaw announced a surprise announcement minutes prior to Friday night’s event. Kentucky’s most important recruiting event of the year, Big Blue Madness, with several other elite prospects inside Rupp Arena. Unlike the first visit, Bradshaw brought his mom this time, and she apparently didn’t need a long campus tour to sign off on the school her son wanted for months. Bradshaw signed up for the Cats later than he had expected and earlier than his latest plan.
“Not really a surprise,” says Jason Harrigan, coach of Bradshaw’s Nike-sponsored New Jersey Scholars grassroots team. “I think over the last few weeks, Kentucky really made a strong push and made him feel comfortable, and sometimes when you know, you know. He knew Kentucky was the place he wanted to go. It’s a dream school, an elite program, and they’ve shown serious interest in him, so they were always in the forefront of his mind.
