UK or Syracuse? Five-star point guard Quade Green ‘knows what he wants to do’

Among those in attendance for UK’s 69-48 victory over Michigan State at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night was Quade Green, one of the best high school point guards in the country and a major Wildcats’ recruiting target in the class of 2017.

Green — a 6-foot-1 prospect from Philadelphia — will be the one in the spotlight Saturday night, when he announces his college decision at Neumann-Goretti High School’s first-ever “Hoops Madness” event.

Neumann-Goretti Coach Carl Arrigale told the Herald-Leader on Wednesday that the event — scheduled to start Saturday at 8 p.m. — will be a midnight madness-style showcase for the school’s boys’ and girls’ basketball programs. It will include three-point and slam-dunk contests, intrasquad scrimmages and, at the end, Green’s college announcement.

Arrigale said Green would likely reveal his college choice between 9:30 and 10 p.m.

Green’s announcement will come after the window of the November signing period, which ends Wednesday, but national letter of intent rules allow for colleges to report new signees up to two weeks after the end of the signing period, and Arrigale is expecting his star player to be an early signee.

“I don’t think he was sure — even a couple of days ago — if he was going to sign early,” he told the Herald-Leader. “Now, I think he’s going to sign the letter. I think he’s got some clarity. He has a final five list, but it’s only between two teams. It’s Kentucky and Syracuse. And I think he has some clarity.”

Duke, Temple and Villanova were also on Green’s list of finalists, but it’s been clear for a few weeks that Kentucky and Syracuse were the two favorites.

Green visited Syracuse for the Orange’s season opener Friday night. On Tuesday, he watched Kentucky play one last time before his college decision.

“I think he woke up today and he kind of knows what he wants to do,” Arrigale said Wednesday.

Green likely will sign and date his national letter of intent Wednesday and then hold on to it before making his announcement Saturday, then the school that he picks can report him as an early signee.

UK extended Green a scholarship offer over the summer, when he earned five-star status while leading the Nike circuit in assists and steals. The Wildcats likely will need several guards from the 2017 class, and Green would have a great chance to be the starting point guard in Lexington next season following the expected departures of Isaiah Briscoe, De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk to the NBA Draft.

“I think he knows that the guys at Kentucky aren’t going to be there next year. They’re pretty good,” Arrigale said. “And I think he knows there’s an opportunity there for him to be the next leader of the next group coming in. That’s something that definitely intrigues him, for sure.”

Syracuse made Green its No. 1 priority at point guard early in the recruiting process.

“He has a two-year relationship with (Syracuse),” Arrigale said. “They recruited him before he became a big star on the AAU circuit this year.

“So he’s had some things that he has had to think about.”

Scout.com ranks Green as the No. 25 player in the 2017 class.

This story was originally published November 16, 2016 at 2:10 PM with the headline "UK or Syracuse? Five-star point guard Quade Green ‘knows what he wants to do’."