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Michael Porter
6-3 Point Guard
Modesto Christian High School
Modesto, California

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Modesto Christian High School point guard Michael Porter has made a verbal commitment to play basketball for the University of Kentucky. He notified Wildcats head coach Tubby Smith by telephone on Monday night, a day after returning from a recruiting trip to the Lexington campus. The 6-foot-3 junior follows in the footsteps of former Modesto Christian star Chuck Hayes, who just completed a four-year career at the school, home to one of the nation's most prestigious basketball programs. Porter and MC teammate Adrian Oliver, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard, made official recruiting visits to the school last weekend. It didn't take Porter long to decide.

"I loved how the entire area is so into basketball," said Porter, a two-time Modesto Bee first-team All-District selection. "We were walking around the campus and people would say, 'Hey, it's the guys from Modesto.'" Toward the end of their visit, Porter said Smith offered scholarships to both of them. Attempts to reach University of Kentucky officials to confirm the offers were unsuccessful.

Porter said he received a scholarship offer from San Jose State, and was also being recruited by UOP, Princeton, Cornell, Yale and Oregon State. A quarterback and defensive back for Modesto Christian, he said he received football offers from Nevada and Nevada-Las Vegas.

Given that the MC basketball program, coached by his father, Gary, has sent players recently to Kentucky, Cal and Oregon State, Michael Porter was familiar with the process and knew a few more recruiting trips could be in line before the early signing day in November. But in the end, Kentucky, which has been to the NCAA Tournament 14 consecutive years and won the title in 1996, was the easy call.

"Kentucky was my top choice," he said. "Why waste any time?"

On Monday night, Porter called Smith, who is vacationing in the Bahamas. "There wasn't very good reception, but he asked me how I liked Kentucky and I told him I didn't want to go anywhere else," Porter said. "He said he couldn't wait to tell his coaches." On their visit, Porter and Oliver shot baskets at Memorial Coliseum, the school's practice facility. A future teammate of Porter's, 7-foot-1 Polish center Lukasz Obrzut, grabbed rebounds and made passes. They took a tour of the campus and Smith took them both to his home. "I never got to go back and see Chuck play, so this was my first visit (to Lexington)," Michael Porter said. "I could see myself living there. It was perfect."

Porter said Kentucky would most likely use him at point guard, the same position he has played for the Crusaders for three years. He admitted the competition for playing time will be tough early on. Kentucky's current point guard, Rajon Rondo, who has three years of eligibility left, started every game and averaged 8.1 points, 3.4 assists and 25 minutes a game in leading the Wildcats to an NCAA regional final last season. As a junior at MC, Porter averaged 16 points, 6.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 2.4 steals a game. While they aren't phenomenal statistics, Gary Porter said Tubby Smith knows exactly what he's getting in Michael.

"He's a coach's kid who's been around the game so much," Gary Porter said. "You never see him do anything wrong on the court. And he's a pretty good overall athlete, too." As for his senior year in football at MC, Michael Porter said "it was up to Coach Smith."

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6-2 guard Porter first 2006 recruit to commit to UK

Michael Porter, a 6-foot-2 football and basketball player from Modesto (Calif.) Christian (the same school that produced former University of Kentucky forward Chuck Hayes) is the first recruit from the 2006 class to commit to the UK men's basketball team. Porter, who averaged 16 points and seven assists last season, is the son of Modesto Christian basketball coach Gary Porter, who also coached Hayes. "My son has always said that this was his dream, so when he was offered a scholarship to Kentucky, there was no use in messing around," Gary Porter said.

Until UK entered the picture, the list of schools pursuing Porter to play basketball weren't nearly as illustrious as those wanting him for his football skills. Most of the top football teams on the West Coast, including defending national champion Southern California, have been recruiting him as a quarterback. "Michael likes football, but he loves basketball," Gary Porter said. "He's a tough-nosed kid, he plays good defense, he sees the floor, he hits the three. He's not going to come in there doing 360 dunks, but he's a very solid player with leadership skills."

This is just the start of what could be a busy 2006 recruiting season for the Cats. UK already has one scholarship available if center Randolph Morris, who entered the National Basketball Association draft, doesn't return. That opens the possibility that walk-on Ravi Moss could receive a scholarship.Either way, it appears the Cats could have as many as four scholarships to give in 2006 and possibly more.

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Porter says yes to Tubby, no to USC football

For all its storied basketball success, Kentucky achieved a recruiting first on Monday night: The Cats beat out Southern California's mighty football program for a prospect. The prospect is Michael Porter, the son of Modesto (Calif.) Christian basketball coach Gary Porter, and a two-sport star. The younger Porter, whose commitment to UK on Monday night came three days after making a recruiting visit to Lexington, has been wooed by Southern Cal. He tried, unsuccessfully, as late as yesterday to dissuade a USC assistant from visiting him in Modesto. "He still wants to visit," said Porter, who plays for the same high school as former UK star Chuck Hayes. "I don't want to change my mind."

When reminded of Southern Cal's football legacy, which includes the 2004 national championship, Michael Porter quickly replied, "Yeah, but Kentucky basketball is pretty big, too." Kentuckians think UK basketball surpasses all other programs in all other sports."That's what I think over here, too," Michael Porter said.

The younger Porter starred as a point guard for Modesto Christian. He averaged 16 points, seven assists and six rebounds as a junior this past season. He also starred on the school's football team as a safety and quarterback. He won't try to play both sports in college, and prefers basketball.
"I enjoy playing basketball," he said. "I enjoy going to practice. I'll go and shoot at 10, 11 or 12 at night. In basketball there are no down moments, unless you lose a game." Football has plenty of down moments, he added. "All those practices. Only one game a week. Football kind of drags."

UK Coach Tubby Smith offered scholarships to Porter and Oliver as the players ended their visits. The offer caught the younger Porter by surprise.
"I didn't expect this to happen this early," he said. "I liked what I saw (on the visit). I didn't want to go anywhere else." The younger Porter had earlier made unofficial basketball recruiting visits to Pacific, San Jose State and California. The major recruiting services do not rate Michael Porter among the elite prospects in the high school class of 2006.

Father and son shrugged off the relatively modest billing. The player has not played in any of the "shoe camps," as he put it. So he hasn't been fully evaluated by the self-styled scouts to rate prospects. Michael Porter said he planned to play in such camps this spring and summer. As for his projected role for UK, the younger Porter said he expected to be insurance if any of the Cats guards (Rajon Rondo, most prominently) decided to make an early entry into the NBA Draft next year. The elder Porter said Kentucky could count on his son being a four-year college player. "He better be," he said. "His momma will see to that."