Calipari expected to land first commitments for UK’s 2017 class Thursday

Three high school basketball prospects who have been on Kentucky’s priority list for months will announce their college decisions Thursday, and the Wildcats look to be in good shape with at least two of them.

Nick Richards — a 6-foot-11 center from Queens, N.Y. — will go first, scheduled to announce his college choice at 2 p.m., at his high school, The Patrick School in New Jersey.

Richards has taken two visits to UK over the past few weeks and has not yet visited his other two finalists, Arizona and Syracuse. Scout.com national analyst Evan Daniels told the Herald-Leader on Wednesday that he fully expects Richards to pick UK. That would make him the Wildcats’ first commitment for the class of 2017.

Should Richards choose the Cats, he likely won’t have to wait long to find out who one of his future teammates will be.

Five-star forward PJ Washington — a 6-8 prospect from Findlay Prep (Nev.) — is booked to announce his college decision during ESPNU’s one-hour signing day special, which will start at 6 p.m.

Washington is also considering North Carolina and UNLV — he’s taken official visits to both schools — but he’s been on UK’s campus twice since September, and Daniels said he’s also likely to be a Wildcat.

“I like Kentucky for him, for sure,” he said. “I think they’re in great shape. I think they’ve been the leader for quite some time, and I don’t think anything has changed in that regard.”

A couple of hours after Washington’s announcement, four-star wing John Petty is expected to reveal his college choice.

Petty — a 6-5 prospect from Huntsville, Ala. — will pick either UK or Alabama at halftime of his high school team’s season opener, which begins at 8 p.m. ET.

John Calipari has visited Petty several times over the past few months, but Petty called off his previously scheduled official visit to Kentucky in October and did not reschedule that trip. He took an official visit to Alabama in August.

“I think John Petty is going to end up at Alabama,” Daniels said. “He’s announcing at his high school in Alabama. Pretty rare to see that go the opposite direction.”

Scout.com ranks Washington as the No. 14 overall player in the class, Richards at No. 17 and Petty at No. 44.

This story was originally published November 9, 2016 at 3:22 PM with the headline "Calipari expected to land first commitments for UK’s 2017 class Thursday."