Well, that was fast.
Not long after rumors of Wenyen Gabriel possibly announcing his college decision soon, Ben Roberts of Next Cats and Scout.com's Evan Daniels are reporting that Gabriel has committed to the Kentucky Wildcats.
Gabriel has since confirmed the news himself:
Rivals Nation to Big Blue Nation ⚪️ pic.twitter.com/LoQWkN4e1e
— Upman (@WenyenGabriel) October 1, 2015
Gabriel has been one of the fastest-rising college prospect this year. He really rose up the rankings with a great showing in AAU events this summer, which led to him scoring scholarship offers from Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and other big-time programs. The Blue Devils were really hard after Gabriel, but John Calipari and his staff were able to reel in the talented forward.
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A 6-9, 195-pound forward out of Wilbraham & Monson Academy (MA), Gabriel is ranked by 24/7 Sports Composite as the No. 17 prospect in the Class of 2016 and the No. 5 power forward. He's also the No. 17 prospect on Rivals, and ESPN has him at No. 23.
Gabriel has yet to go on his official visit to Duke, which is set for October 16. He visited Maryland September 11th and Kentucky September 20th, and the Cats were ultimately able to secure his commitment thanks to that visit. Had he made it to that Duke visit, it would have been far more challenging to land him, but now that's not an issue.
Here are some highlights of Gabriel in action: