Kentucky picks up another 2017 commitment from highly rated forward

Big Blue Madness weekend continues to pay off for UK women’s basketball coach Matthew Mitchell, who has added a commitment from yet another nationally ranked recruit.

Tatyana Wyatt — a 6-1 forward from Columbus, Ga. — announced Tuesday night that she has committed to the Wildcats. Wyatt revealed her decision less than a week after Mitchell visited her hometown.

She becomes UK’s fifth commitment for the class of 2017 — joining Top 100 post player Dorie Harrison, Top 100 forward Keke McKinney, three-star point guard Kameron Roach and junior-college shooting guard Amanda Paschal.

Wyatt, Harrison and McKinney all took official visits to UK for Big Blue Madness last month, the season-opening event that prominently features the women’s team. Mitchell had more than a dozen recruits in town for this year’s Madness.

Prospects Nation ranks Wyatt as the No. 63 overall player in the 2017 class. She averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds per game as a junior at Columbus High School last season.

The addition of Wyatt is another step in Mitchell’s effort to bolster UK’s frontcourt of the future. The Cats will also have 6-1 forward Ogechi Anyagaligbo available for next season. Anyagaligbo transferred from Stony Brook during the offseason and will be eligible to play in 2017-18. She averaged 10.1 points and 9.0 rebounds per as a freshman, earning America East rookie of the year honors.

The Wildcats head into this season with just seven recruited, scholarship players after a rash of departures over the past year. Two of those players — Evelyn Akhator and Makayla Epps — are seniors.

This story was originally published November 1, 2016 at 8:40 PM with the headline "Kentucky picks up another 2017 commitment from highly rated forward."