Kentucky signs point guard Brandon Knight

Kentucky didn’t win the national championship it was seeking this month, but on college basketball signing day Wednesday, the Wildcats reloaded for a title run next year and beyond.

Point guard Brandon Knight, generally regarded as the nation’s top recruit among high school seniors, signed with Kentucky, as did Turkish star Enes Kanter, a forward, and Stacey Poole, a highly touted swingman from Jacksonville, Fla. The Wildcats also received a commitment from Michael Gilchrist, a forward from St. Patrick High in Elizabeth, N.J., who is considered the nation’s top junior.

FOR THE RECORD:
High school basketball: In Thursday’s Sports section, one of the photos accompanying an article about colleges’ signing basketball recruits identified the player pictured as Ray McCallum, who had been pursued by UCLA. The photo was of Jared Sullinger, another top prospect. —

Meantime, UCLA and USC had little to report.

UCLA missed on two top prospects from Michigan who chose to play for their fathers: point guard Ray McCallum picked Detroit Mercy (coached by Ray McCallum Sr.), and shooting guard Trey Zeigler picked Central Michigan (coached by former UCLA assistant Ernie Zeigler).

McCallum and Zeigler were prime targets for UCLA Coach Ben Howland, who signed center Josh Smith from Kentwood, Wash., and guard Tyler Lamb from Santa Ana Mater Dei last fall.

Later this week, Howland is expected to sign Lazeric Jones, a guard from John A. Logan Junior College in Illinois who committed to UCLA in December.

At USC, the day was without celebration or disappointment. The Trojans’ 2010 class of four recruits was finalized in the fall when guards Maurice Jones and Bryce Jones and forwards Curtis Washington and Garrett Jackson signed their national letters of intent.

For 2011, USC on Wednesday secured DeWayne Dedmon, a 7-foot center from Antelope Valley College who signed a scholarship agreement.

Dedmon is expected to enroll at USC in January and will not be eligible until the 2011-12 season. He will have three years of eligibility left.

The signing of Dedmon comes after USC Coach Kevin O’Neill recently hired former Antelope Valley College coach Dieter Horton as an assistant.

[email protected]