Confirmed: DeMarcus Cousins commits to UK

I went to bed last night thinking I would have to wait a week and a half or so before we heard any definite news about the recruits that John Calipari is pursuing. Around 7 pm yesterday evening, there were some well-informed posters on the message boards who hinted that a Cousins commitment was forthcoming, possibly even last night.

Then, every single one of them relented, and Cats Pause reported that Cousins would postpone his decision until April 20.

I wake up this morning to a half dozen text messages, and I see that DeMarcus Cousins committed to UK after all.

The first to report it was Evan Daniels of Scout.com (subscription required). His story includes some quotes from Cousins that really confirm that Cousins third different verbal commitment (UAB, then Memphis, now UK) came because of John Calipari. He believes that Coach Cal will feature him in such a way that maximizes his draft stock and prepares him for the next level.

Now, the next thing to keep an eye on is the impact that this has on the other recruits floating around (will this start a cascade of dominoes with Wall and Henry?), as well as the impact that Cousins commitment has on Daniel Orton. I don’t think it guaranteed now that Orton holds to his commitment. UK fans will need to show him as much love as possible in Louisville this weekend at the Derby Festival Classic. UNC proved this season that there are enough minutes to go around to satisfy three big time post players (Ed Davis came off the bench and he’s a high lottery pick if he comes out).

It’s not going to be an easy sale, but a front court featuring Patterson (if he returns), Cousins, Orton, and Pilgrim is a scary proposition in the SEC, a league that was pretty much devoid of good post play last year.