KU an early leader for five-star Matthew Hurt?

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Matthew Hurt, one of the most polished forwards in high school basketball, has not been short of college interest as a few blue blood programs remain heavily in the mix.

Ranked No. 6 in the 2019 Rivals150, Hurt spoke on the programs that touched base with him on June 15, the first day of allowable direct contact.

“I got texts from Louisville, UNC, Duke, Kentucky, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Virginia, Ohio State, Indiana and a few others,” he said. “Most of the schools that haven’t offered me yet want to see me in July since they haven’t seen me play since last year.”

Despite sitting out for the past several months due to an injury, Hurt has not seen a dip in his recruitment. His brother, Michael, is a rising sophomore at Minnesota and the Gophers have placed a priority on extending the Hurt family connection. However, Hurt's recruitment has been a blue blood affair for the past year as Kansas, North Carolina and Louisville, among others, have already offered.

WHAT'S NEXT?

While Hurt won't be making a commitment in the near future, he has an idea of when he would like to make his decision.

“I am open right now,” he said. “I probably won’t commit until the September of my senior year and maybe push it back until my high school season to see who all is there.”

Hurt is busy mapping out his visit plans for the upcoming academic year.

“I think we are going to go to a few football games this year to see Louisville and also go to the Duke and UNC game next year so that should be pretty good,” Hurt stated. “I am going to try and get to most of these schools.”

RIVALS' REACTION

Hurt boasts offers from practically every school in America outside of Duke or Kentucky, and that could change after he gets back onto travel circuit next month.

Minnesota remains squarely in the mix thanks to several factors - and his family tie to the program doesn't hurt, either. However, Kansas and North Carolina may be the early leaders at this point.