Keyonte George, a top-five prospect in the 2022 class, announced his commitment to Baylor on Sunday.
George, who cut his list back in May, chose the Bears over Texas, Oklahoma State, Kansas and Kentucky. He took official visits to four of his final five schools, with Kentucky the exception. Texas was perceived as the favorite for most of the spring, but the Longhorns landed a commitment from ESPN 100 guard Arterio Morris in mid-July and the momentum shifted toward Scott Drew and Baylor.
"I felt like Baylor was the best fit for me as a scoring guard," George told ESPN. "Seeing how they played this year shows that they let their guards go. They were already a winning culture and their playing style helped with my decision, but them winning it all didn't play a part in it. It was mostly the relationship with Coach Drew and their play style. Their plan is to develop me and make me the best version of myself, help my team win and hopefully get to the next level."
A 6-foot-4 shooting guard from iSchool of Lewisville (Texas), George is ranked No. 4 in the ESPN 100 for 2022 -- but will move up to No. 2 with the top two prospects, Emoni Bates and Jalen Duren, reclassifying into 2021. At No. 2, George becomes the highest-ranked Baylor commit since the ESPN recruiting database began in 2007.
"Coach Drew is one of the most caring guys I've ever met," he said. "He cares for his players, his coaching staff and everyone around the program. He just makes you feel like family."
George averaged 24.8 points in 24 games during the high school season, including 27 points against powerhouse Oak Hill Academy (Virginia) and 34 points against AZ Compass Prep (Arizona). He suited up for Southern Assault 3SSB on the Adidas grassroots circuit, highlighted by a 24-point, 19-rebound effort against five-stars Chris Livingston and Mikey Williams in early July.
With the ball in his hands, George has smooth and clever movements to get by defenders with bounce, leverage and strength to score in the paint and finish at the rim. He has an efficient middle game and knows when to use it. When defenders back up, he pulls up with balance, poise and elevation to knock down jumpers outside the paint and inside the arc. His 3-point shot has excellent range and accuracy. Because of his shot-making ability and triple-threat body position, he can shot-fake and jab-step to get past defenders.
What makes George hard to guard is he scores with a live dribble but also cuts off screens without the ball to an open pocket of space. He shows poise when opponents look to take the ball out of his hands. His defensive game needs attention, both on and off the ball, to be an elite two-way player at Baylor. With Baylor's history of guard development and on-court success and George's work habits, he is heading down the path of being an impact player for Drew and a potential lottery pick.
George is the second commitment for Drew in the 2022 class, joining point guard Dillon Hunter (No. 46). It also marks the second straight class the Bears have landed a five-star wing, after bringing in small forward Kendall Brown for the upcoming season.
Drew and his staff remain in the mix for top-30 prospect Vincent Iwuchukwu and Anthony Black.
"I am hoping I can get Vincent Iwuchukwu," George said. "He has Baylor in his top five so I'm going to talk to him and see if he can join the family."