Aurora phenom Ryan Boatright commits to USC

Tim Floyd snags the 5-10 guard before he even picks a high school…

Aurora phenom Ryan Boatright hasn’t decided where to attend high school, but he’s already picked a college.

The 5-10 guard gave an oral commitment to USC coach Tim Floyd on Sunday. Boatright was at USC for a basketball camp over the weekend. Word leaked out on Monday that Floyd had offered Boatright a scholarship. The family announced the commitment Tuesday.

“It was just a coincidence,” Tanesha Boatright, Ryan’s mother, said. “Ryan has always loved USC and North Carolina. So when one of his favorite schools offered him a scholarship, he couldn’t pass it up.”

DePaul and Indiana both expressed interest in Boatright, but USC was the first school to offer. Floyd made quite an impression on the family.

“He was just amazing,” Tanesha Boatright said. “Such a warm, nice man. He made us feel so comfortable. He was awesome. You couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

Boatright is just the latest in a new trend of ultra-early commitments. Floyd received an oral commitment from a 14-year old last year as well, 6-6 Dwayne Polee Jr. from Westchester, California.

Cully Payne committed to DePaul before playing a high school game for Burlington Central and Jereme Richmond committed to Illinois after his first game at North Shore Country Day, but Boatright is the first player to commit to college before choosing a high school. He’s expected to make that choice later this week.

“I’m not sure what we are going to do,” Tanesha Boatright said. “There is so much pressure on him about that. We want to find a good school and a good team.”

Boatright has family on both sides of Aurora, so he is deciding between East and West Aurora.