Antonio Blakeney controversially reopens committment
By Jacob Rude
Just 11 days after committing to the University of Louisville, 5-star recruit Antonio Blakeney has decommitted and is reopening his recruiting.
"Antonio Blakeney decommitted from Louisville.– Evan Daniels"
However, the controversy surrounds the reason as to why he decommitted. Jerry Meyer of 247sports is hearing it’s a shoe company issue.
"I don’t play up shoe company angle in basketball recruiting but decommitment of Antonio Blakeney from Louisville is shoe company related.– Jerry Meyer"
To put it plainly, Blakeney is a Nike product and has been in their system/pipeline through AAU and high school. However, Louisville is an Adidas school.
Unfortunately, this is a sign of the times we live in. Recruiting is no longer as simple as which school fits you best, but which school fits the company you’re represented by. With the increased presence of AAU programs, the politics of college basketball too often take precedence.
The #14 recruit per ESPN, Blakeney had offers from Florida State, Kentucky, LSU, Missouri, Oregon, and USC. Oddly (read: ironically), every one of those schools are represented by Nike. Obviously, Kentucky and Oregon are going to be the most heavily influenced by Nike, but it’s hard to predict this recruitment.