Five-star basketball recruit Kameron Mercer announced on Thursday his commitment to play for his hometown Cincinnati Bearcats and also reclassify for the Class of 2027.
The 6-foot-5 sophomore wing, who led Princeton High School this past season to an Ohio state championship, plans to graduate a year early and join new Cincinnati coach Jerrod Calhoun.
“I’m looking forward to doubling up work and being ready,” Mercer said on a Zoom call while on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” on Thursday. “I’ll be supporting the Bearcats from the sideline.”
Mercer was most recently ranked No. 16 overall in the Class of 2028 by 247Sports, which now has him as a four-star recruit ranked the No. 33 player in the country, No. 3 shooting guard and No. 2 player in Ohio for the Class of 2027, according to the 247Sports Composite.
ESPN, which had Mercer No. 7 in the Class of 2028 before his reclassification, reported that he is the highest-ranked prospect to pick Cincinnati since its recruiting database started in 2007 and is the first five-star recruit since Lance Stephenson in 2009.
“Growing up in Cincinnati, it means a lot to me to play here,” said Mercer, who also had Ohio State as a finalist.
The Bearcats had first offered Mercer a scholarship when he was in eighth grade under former coach Wes Miller and his staff. Calhoun re-offered and Mercer made another visit to campus earlier this month to spend time with the coach.
“I think our connection grew as soon as I stepped foot on campus,” Mercer said. “(Calhoun) has a little different aura to him. I loved all my other visits, but I think Coach Calhoun, there’s just something about him that I can’t explain. It’s a little different.”
Mercer also liked the coaching staff’s honesty and transparency.
“They genuinely care and they kept it straight with me,” he said. “They didn’t tell me I was just this great player. Just told me what I needed to work on and what I could do from now on to be ready. I love the staff and I know I’ve only known them for maybe a month or a month and a half, but they’re just so real with me. They keep everything real and I love coaches who are straightforward.”
Mercer averaged 14.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.4 steals per game for Princeton last season. He also won a gold medal playing for the U.S. Under-16 national team last summer at the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup, averaging 5.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 steals as a reserve over six games.
