Emmanuel Mudiay announced his commitment to SMU on Saturday during halftime at the Elite 24 game in Brooklyn.
The No. 2 point guard and No. 5 overall player in the ESPN 100 is the highest rated player to choose the Mustangs. His decision comes long before an official visit to Kentucky in October.
SMU hired head coach Larry Brown last season, a big factor in Mudiay's decision to drop his other final five picks -- Kansas, Kentucky, Baylor and Oklahoma State -- in favor of the Mustangs.
"I want to do something different. The program is changing under Coach Brown and I really believe in him," Mundiay said via ESPN. "When he talks with me it's not only about basketball, it's about life after the game: What are my interest outside the game and how I will be able to take care of myself and my family. My dream is to play in the NBA and I feel he can help prepare."
The Mustangs move from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference in 2013-14.
