PHILADELPHIA — Class of 2017 point guard Quade Green has chosen Kentucky over Syracuse, he announced Saturday night before a few hundred friends, family and community members in the Neumann-Goretti (Pennsylvania) High School gym. The five-star high school senior selected UK over offers from Syracuse, Duke, Louisville and Villanova, among others.

Green signed his National Letter of Intent on Wednesday, but waited until Saturday night to make a formal announcement. His final decision came down to Syracuse and Kentucky, Neumann-Goretti head coach Carl Arrigale said. There was a 39 percent chance he’d pick SU and 52 percent chance he’d pick UK, 247Sports’ Crystal Ball predicted.

“He wants to be the one that says what it is,” Arrigale said Saturday morning. “He feels strongly about both places.”

When SU offered Green in summer 2015, following his sophomore year, he was the 43rd-rated prospect by ESPN. Now, he’s rated No. 22 in the class and No. 2 in Pennsylvania. Neumann-Goretti alumni to come to SU include Rick Jackson and Scoop Jardine. Dion Waters and Rakeem Christmas have also come from the Philadelphia area.

The 6-foot-1, 170-pound Green would have joined forward Oshae Brissett as Syracuse’s second commit from the 2017 class. Brissett, ranked with four stars by ESPN, picked SU last week over Oregon, Memphis and Southern California. That Green did not come to SU means the Orange still has only one commit from the 2017 class.

Green liked Syracuse and had a good relationship with SU assistant coach Gerry McNamara, Arrigale told The Daily Orange this summer. Green attended Syracuse’s season opener in the Carrier Dome earlier this month, and he sat courtside at Kentucky’s game at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, when UK beat Michigan State by 21.

Green would have been Syracuse’s 22nd ESPN Top 100 commit since 2010. In that time, Kentucky has landed the most ESPN Top 100 recruits. The Wildcats’ 36 beats Duke (27), Arizona (25), Syracuse, UCLA and Texas (all three with 21).

Next season, Syracuse has five available scholarships if all eligible players return. SU’s guards eligible to play in 2017-18 are Frank Howard and Tyus Battle. The Orange will have 11 scholarships — rather than the typical 13 — as a result of the NCAA’s sanctions against SU.

Green’s announcement capped off a Midnight Madness event at the school, where he competed in a 3-point shootout, slam dunk contest and scrimmage before choosing the Wildcats over the Orange.

Published on November 19, 2016 at 9:33 pm

Contact Matthew: mguti100@syr.edu | @MatthewGut21