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Andy Kennedy has picked up a huge commitment. Four-star Devontae Shuler, the No. 24 shooting guard in the 2017 class and a top 100 player overall, has committed to Ole Miss on Monday night, according to Will Sammon of The Clarion-Ledger. The Oak Hill Academy star was on campus over the weekend, which was enough to choose the Rebs over Oklahoma State and South Carolina. He also holds offers from Clemson, Miami, N.C. State, Southern Cal and Wake Forest.
Shuler, originally form Irmo, S.C. (the hometown of former Reb Murphy Holloway), now resides in Mouth of Wilson, Va., where he’ll be looking to defend the Warriors’ 2016 high school national championship. The 6’3, 180-pound guard is the second member of the Basketbears’ 2017 class, joining three-star guard Parker Stewart.
How does he fit in?
Shuler is an impressive athlete who can be as much of a force scoring as he is on the defensive end. The No. 5 player in the Commonwealth State is at his best in transition. His ability to finish in traffic is something that will give him an opportunity to play early and often in Oxford. But, scoring the rock isn’t all Devontae can do. He has tremendous vision in the open floor and can drop dimes with the best of them.
The newest 2017 commit led Oak Hill to a 45-1 record as a junior and averaged 10 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists. During the summer, he played for Chris Paul’s team, CP3, and averaged 12.3 points, shot 50 percent from the field, including 42 percent from deep.
Schuler is a big-time commitment for Kennedy and Co. because he has the ability to contribute in many ways. He can play the role of sixth man and be a shutdown defender, be a facilitator at point guard or be a knockdown volume jump shooter (averaged 25.3 points per game at Irmo High School before transferring).
Ole Miss returns senior Rasheed Brooks, junior Deandre Burnett and graduate transfer Cullen Neal in 2016, so AK’s backcourt is looking better and better with the two 2017 commits and talented freshman Breein Tyree already on campus.