Kevin Ware decommits from Central Florida

By Michael Carvell, Atlanta Journal Constitution

The last couple of months have been a recruiting whirlwind for the 6-foot-4 guard from Rockdale County High School who is ranked as the nation’s No. 56 college basketball prospect by Rivals.

Ware signed with Tennessee in last November’s early period but requested and was granted a release following the firing of Bruce Pearl on March 31. He committed to Central Florida last week, one day after Louisville coach Rick Pitino had traveled to Georgia for an in-home visit. He said he also considered UGA.

Fast forward to Thursday: Ware said he was no longer committed to Central Florida for reasons he would not fully disclose.

“I talked it over with my family, and there’s a lot of personal stuff that I need to get figured out before I decide on any school that I want to go to,” Ware said. “I’m just tired from everything. I’m just going to focus on my schoolwork because without my grades, I can’t get into any school. Once I get my final grades in and know what schools are recruiting me, I will definitely have my choice made up then.”

Did the de-commitment have to do with academics? “Oh no, it has nothing to do with grades,” Ware said. “I just want to back out with UCF and see what my other options are out there. I’m moving forward and seeing what other people have to offer.”

What college is Ware favoring now? “I’m interested in any college that is interested in me,” he said.

Does he have any interest in Georgia, Georgia Tech or Georgia State? Ware replied “yes” to all. “Louisville and Georgia are my [frontrunners]. I just have to talk to the coaches and see if they are still interested in me. I really don’t know where things stand.” Ware said he has not talked to Pitino, UGA’s Mark Fox, or assistants from either school since pledging to Central Florida last week.

What about Tennessee? The school he committed to as a sophomore while Pearl was still the team’s coach?”Honestly, I haven’t really heard anything from Tennessee even before UCF came into the picture. So whatever happened with them, it happened. Tennessee hasn’t been in contact. They’ve got other guards coming in.”