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KyForward Senior Sports Writer

Kevin Knox II, a herald power forward, ranked the No. 8 player in the Class of 2017, verbally committed to the Wildcats, picking Kentucky over Duke, North Carolina, Missouri and Florida State. Knox, a senior at Tampa Catholic in Florida, averaged 28.9 points and 11.3 rebounds a game last season, leading his team to a runner-up finish in the Florida Class 5A finals.

“I’m very happy to be a part of BBN,” Knox said on his blog Saturday night.

Knox said Kentucky’s coaching staff, led by John Calipari “is phenomenal” and added joining one of the top programs in the nation also factored into his decision to play for the Wildcats.

“They know how to get players to the (NBA) and get them outside of their comfort zone and push players to the limit,” he said. “I’ll be playing with a lot of great players every day in practice, getting better against the best competition, and lastly, they know how to win.”

Knox said the recruiting process was “very stressful” but is relieved the process has ended. He will join newcomers Jarred Vanderbilt, P.J. Washington, Nick Richards, Quade Green and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

“I”m just excited, ready to get to campus and get ready to win a national championship,” he said. “Of course, I think we have a great chance at that. That’s always the goal at Kentucky (and) I know the guys coming in are hungry and I know that coach Cal will have us ready to play our best. We’re strong at every position and that’s gonna be hard to stop.”

For now, Knox is planning on relaxing for the remainder of the weekend now that he’s made his college choice.

“It’ll be good not to have this decision hanging over my head,” he said.

Keith Taylor is a senior sports writer for KyForward, where he primarily covers University of Kentucky sports. Reach him at keith.taylor@kyforward.com or @keithtaylor21 on Twitter