Local Five-Star Talent Announces Historic Commitment to Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball

History on the board for Jerrod Calhoun and the Bearcats.

Five-star guard Kam Mercer is committing to the school and reclassifying from the 2028 to the 2027 class in the process after dominating at Princeton High School (Ohio) in Cincinnati over the recent years.

He announced the news during a segment on ESPN's SportsCenter Thursday afternoon.

Historic Addition

Princeton player Kam Mercer (4) reacts with Princeton guard James Millen (22) after Princeton won 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

According to 247Sports, Mercer was 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 and has 11 offers from schools like Ohio State, Maryland, Florida State, and Missouri.

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.

Mercer holds a .9961 rating, while Stephenson held a .9951 rating.

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.

Calhoun noted how people need to fear Cincinnati in this state during his introductory press conference.

"This year, we went and spent $2.4 million on a roster, and we won a regular-season title. We won a conference tournament title. We won a first-round NCAA game, and we took Arizona to the final four or five minutes. Not here to say we don't need money by any means. We need a lot of it, and that's for sure, but I think what it shows you is our ability to evaluate the right people," Calhoun noted. "You have to have the right people. The University of Cincinnati deserves a winner in men's basketball. This city deserves to be rocking and rolling again. People need to fear us in the state of Ohio, it's the best basketball job in the state of Ohio, I think it truly is."

Mercer is the first talent to join Cincinnati out of high school ranks under Calhoun and should be an instant scoring microwave in the Big 12 once he gets comfortable in Calhoun's system. He is an explosive scoring talent at 6-foot-5, 200 pounds and could make an immediate impact at Cincinnati.

Check out highlights from Mercer below:

Top‑10 sophomore 5⭐️ Kam Mercer was getting busy in @NikeEYB Session 1, helping Indy Heat go 2–1 😤🔥 pic.twitter.com/8NTkHudjp9
— League Ready (@LeagueRDY) May 6, 2026

5-Star recruit Kam Mercer from Princeton announced his commitment to Cincinnati on SportsCenter. He is reclassifying from the 2028 to the 2027 class.

Mercer: "The new staff that I met made me a priority from day 1, it meant a lot to me."#Bearcats pic.twitter.com/w2HYIdmSe2
— Chatterbox Sports (@CBoxSports) May 21, 2026

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