Hamilton Heights' Alexander picks UK

Hamilton Heights guard Shai Alexander committed to the University of Kentucky.
Hamilton Heights guard Shai Alexander committed to the University of Kentucky.

Hamilton Heights standout guard Shai Alexander committed to the University of Kentucky Monday morning, per his Twitter feed.

The 6-foot-5 combo guard from Hamilton, Ont., was listed as a four-star prospect by 247Sports. He chose the Wildcats over offers from Florida - who he was previously committed to - Texas, Butler and Virginia Tech.

He averaged 14.1 points, 4.4 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game in 2015-16, shooting 38 percent from 3-point range.

"I'd like to first thank God for opening so many doors for me," Alexander posted on his Twitter feed. "I'm thankful for the support received from my family, friends, teammates and coaches that have shaped me to be the person I am today. Much thanks to the coaching staff and fans at Florida for being patient with me through this process and wishing you nothing but success. I would like to also thank the other coaches and programs that recruited me.

"Special thanks to my Uplay family and my family at Hamilton Heights! I am pleased to announce that I will pursue my collegiate education and athletics at the University of Kentucky next year. #BBN"

Alexander, who had a 6-foot-10 wingspan, will play both guard positions. He averaged 15.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists during the Nike Circuit, then played for Team Canada at the FIBA U18 tournament in Chile before being selected for the Canadian senior national team that competed in the Olympic qualifying tournament in the Philippines.

He was the younger player on that team by four years.

"The thing that sticks out to me the most is his facilitating and ability to be able to pass and create shot opportunities for his teammates," Scout.com's Evan Daniels told the Lexington Herald-Leader's Ben Roberts. "He's a really talented passer. He's got really good size for the position, good length, good quickness. He just finds ways to get in the paint.

"And he seems to be a pretty good competitor, too."

Alexander becomes Kentucky's third commitment for the 2017 signing class.

Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.

Upcoming Events