'I Got Cincinnati Tatted On My Arm' - Five-Star Talent Kam Mercer Details Reason For Picking Cincinnati

The Cincinnati Bearcats added their highest-rated basketball commit of the 247Sports era on Thursday, and five-star wing Kam Mercer had plenty of reasons for picking UC.

The new marquee recruit for Jerrod Calhoun touched on it briefly during his ESPN SportsCenter commitment stint.

"Honestly, with the new staff that I met, they made me a priority from Day 1, even without having a full roster; it just meant a lot to me," Mercer said on ESPN.

According to 247Sports, Mercer wass ranked 11th nationally in 2028 and first among shooting guards. He was widely considered the best player in Ohio from the 2028 class before dropping down one year to 2027 and has 11 offers from schools like Ohio State, Maryland, Florida State, and Missouri at 6-5, 200 pounds.

He dove into the reasoning further with Fox19's Joe Danneman.

"With the new addition to the staff, and everything he (Jerrod Calhoun) told me about himself, and everything I watched last year, Utah State against Villanova in the March Madness tournament, I learned a lot from that game," Mercer said after the commitment. "Breaking down the film with him, and just everything about the visit, honestly, like I was able to put on the old nostalgic clothes that, honestly, only official visitors were able to put those clothes on, so they made me a priority from Day 1."

It's a historic addition for UC as Calhoun's first marquee player to join the class. He ranks as the highest-rated recruit to ever commit to Cincinnati in the 247Sports era, eclipsing Lance Stephenson.

Cincinnati has been targeting multiple local talents in this class and didn't let Ohio State get the upper hand as the Bearcats aim to be the best team in the Buckeye State during 2026-27 and beyond.

A Light To Follow

Princeton player Kam Mercer (4) dunks as St. Edwards forward Kaleb Gettis (35) looks on during the first quarter of the OHSAA State Championship semi-final at Wright State Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio, on Match 21, 2026. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Mercer was eager to make a statement early in the process for Calhoun and his hometown school.

"I think it means a lot, just Cincinnati in general, I'm from here, I got Cincinnati tatted on my arm," Mercer said. "If that doesn't show you how much I love Cincinnati, I don't know what will. I do so much stuff for the community. I did backpack giveaways, basketball camps, and I'm doing anything to try to help the community, just honestly being here, and I know that being Coach Calhoun's first big commit in the city as a high schooler means a lot. I hope that everybody can look at me and start saying, 'Okay, like we want to stay home.'"

The 6-foot-5 scoring dynamo just led Princeton High School to its first-ever state championship and could hold a gravitational pull for other highly-touted local recruits in the area, like 2027's Isaiah Mack-Russell out of Winton Woods.

The first offseason under Calhoun's leadership has gone just about as well as any fan could ask for so far.

Check out the full comments from Mercer below:

"Being Coach Calhoun's first big commit in the city as a high schooler means a lot. I hope everybody can look at me and start saying, like, 'Ok, we're going to stay home.'"

One of the top ranked recruits in the country, Kam Mercer talks about his commitment to UC. pic.twitter.com/FSwk0wrRtp
— Joe Danneman (@FOX19Joe) May 21, 2026

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