Add another victory to UCF basketball head coach Donnie Jones’ resume this season.
Jones, who has led No. 18 UCF to a perfect 13-0 start to his inaugral season, lured Michael Chandler, the No. 4 center prospect in the nation according to Rivals.com, to verbally commit to playing for the Knights next season.
“I really like Coach Jones,” Chandler told the Orlando Sentinel. “We have a great relationship. He showed me that he really cared about me and wants to help me be a great player at UCF.”
Chandler committed to the Knights on Friday, his third verbal commitment. He originally committed to Louisville as a sophomore at Lawrance North High School in Indianapolis and then to Xavier in October before de-committing in early November.
The 6-foot-10, 220-pound center is rated a four-star prospect by both Rivals.com and ESPN.com and has said his decision to sign with UCF is final.
“There is no reason for me to look anywhere else,” he said to the Sentinel. “I’m done with recruiting and definitely going to UCF.”
Chandler is a huge grab for the Knights. He had offers to big-time schools like Connecticut, Indiana and Kentucky, but choose UCF. He brings much-needed size to Jones’ lineup that will lose center Tom Herzog and senior A.J. Tyler to graduation following the season.
The highest-ranked prospect ever to sign with UCF, Chandler is a good low-post player with great shot blocking and rebounding ability. He joins an already successful class of players for Jones’ recruiting class, including Rod Days, Kasey Wilson and Wayne Martin.
