By Nick Craddock

The UK men’s basketball team picked up their first verbal commitment for the class of 2010 on Thursday, in a live announcement on ESPNU.

Four-star recruit Stacey Poole, the No. 4 small forward prospect in the country and the No. 27 prospect overall, according to Rivals.com, chose UK over Southeastern Conference foe South Carolina. Clemson had also made Poole an offer, according to Rivals.com.

“The bottom line is that (Poole) is a classic dribble-drive player,” said Jeff Drummond, the publisher for UK’s team page at Rivals.com. “He’s one of the very best slashers in this entire draft class, and he can play either the two or the three.”

Poole, a 6-foot-5 senior at Providence School in Jacksonville, Fla., made his official visit to UK on Sept. 19, and Rivals.com reported that his decision would come this week, after his “great visit.”

“Coach Calipari and his dribble-drive offense have an allure,” said Jerry Meyer, a national basketball analyst for Rivals.com, on why Poole was drawn to UK.

Poole is one of many high-profile targets for UK, a list that also includes Brandon Knight, the nation’s top-rated point guard and the No.1 player overall, according to Rivals.com. Knight, who is also coveted by the likes of Connecticut and Kansas, will most likely not make a decision until the spring, Meyer said.