By
Rick Pitino received two verbal commitments this past week, bringing the count for the 2009 class to five.
Small forward Jared Swopshire committed to the University of Louisville Saturday while shooting guard Kyle Kuric committed last Sunday.
The 6-foot-7 Swopshire is a native of St. Louis, Mo., but now resides in Brandenton, Fla. where he attends IMG Academy, a school where he can hone his basketball skills and get an education.
Swopshire’s recruitment heated up when Pitino visited him in Florida in September and offered him a scholarship.
Swopshire visited Louisville with his family after making official visits to both Marquette University and Clemson University.
He also held offers on the table from the University of Cincinnati, University of Miami-Fla. and Missouri University.
“I’ve never been here before so I wanted to see the campus with my family,” Swopshire told Justin Young of Rivals basketball recruiting. “They had a chance to meet the coaches and I had a chance to meet the players and see the campus and see what it is all about.”
Kuric is a 6-foot-5 shooter from Indiana who averaged 25 points per game as a junior at Evansville Reitz Memorial High School. He is known for his tremendous athletic ability and his 38-inch vertical leap.
Kuric gave Pitino a verbal commitment while visiting Louisville for his sister’s soccer game. He chose the Cardinals after considering the University of Michigan, Southern Illinois University and St. Louis University.
All verbal commitments may be made official between Nov. 14 and Nov. 21 when high school athletes can sign an early letter of intent to a college.
