5-star wing King still solid for Louisville

The crown jewel of Louisville basketball's 2016 recruiting class still plans to sign with the Cardinals next month, two people close to V.J. King told The Courier-Journal on Monday.

King, a five-star, 6-foot-6 wing who is considered a consensus top-25 prospect by each of the major recruiting outlets, is "100-percent signing" with Louisville when the early signing period for prospective college basketball players begins in two weeks, said a source who did not wish to be identified.

King's AAU coach, Keith Stevens, confirmed his star player's intentions, saying King "sure does" plan to sign his national letter of intent with Louisville sometime during the Nov. 11-18 signing window.

U of L is also expecting Ohio guard Frankie Hughes to sign his NLI to play for the Cards during the same period.

Louisville assistant Kenny Johnson, who worked with Stevens as the assistant director of Washington, D.C., based Team Takeover for six years, has visited King in recent weeks to firm up the star's commitment to the Cards, Stevens said.

Stevens also said King hasn't talked to him about the ongoing controversy surrounding the U of L hoops program.

U of L, UMKC, the NCAA and local authorities are all investigating allegations in a new book, "Breaking Cardinal Rules," which claims a former Louisville staffer paid escorts thousands of dollars and gave them game tickets in exchange for dancing for and having sex with players and recruits.

Keeping King in the 2016 class was a top priority for Louisville after the book's release this month rocked the basketball program and prompted fears among fans that the Cards could potentially face NCAA sanctions.

King is a talented utility man on the wing, a long, athletic prospect who rebounds well, plays good defense and can immediately contribute to Louisville's roster as soon as he arrives on campus ahead of the 2016-17 season.

The Cards would still like to add one more player to the 2016 class to complement King, and they are doggedly pursuing five-star point guard De'Aaron Fox and four-star point guard Andrew Jones. They have also entered the mix for Australian guard Dejan Vasiljevic.

For his part, King came to Louisville for a short visit in September, when Fox was also in town, hoping to sway the nation's top-rated guard. Fox's decision is set for sometime in November, likely during the early signing period.

In the meantime, Stevens said he'd like to see King, who plays high school hoops for Paul VI High near D.C., become more assertive as a senior.

"I'd just like for him to be more aggressive," Stevens said. "He's a good team player, but he can be even more aggressive."

King averaged 18.5 points a game last season for Paul VI, one of the top private-school programs in the D.C. area. This summer, he emerged as one of the top players on Nike's EYBL circuit, averaging 14 points, five rebounds and 1.3 assists a game and leading Team Takeover to the semifinals of the Peach Jam, the summer's top AAU tournament.