UK has its next, next point guard, depending on how “next” you now consider Marquis Teague, with the commitment of Ryan Harrow.

Harrow will likely be the sixth-best (seventh if you count Bledsoe) point guard Calipari has coached in the last six years — although considering the other five, to be part of that group is a compliment, somehow. Still, the thing about Harrow is that he doesn’t contain the certainty of success the others did. It wasn’t only assumed that Wall and Knight, and now Teague, would have immediate success. It was expected. Guaranteed. A fact inherent in simply having them on the roster.

Harrow does not have that. He wasn’t at the top of the 2011 class position rankings, ranked between No. 19 and No. 39 overall by recruiting services. He did not make the McDonald’s All-American game. He transferred after one relatively impact-free year at N.C. State.

This does not mean he won’t be a good point guard. He’s already had a full season in college. And by most non-UK standards, 23 minutes and 9.3 points per game are good. He will now get a full season practicing with UK, going against Marquis Teague in practice (a pairing with benefits that apply to more than one year and more than one person). No one has proven himself better at extracting productivity from a point guard than Calipari. That very reason, in fact, was why Harrow chose UK anyway.”I just felt like they had everything that I needed as far as me getting better and me reaching my ultimate goals,” Harrow told Scout.com.

And after all that, he will be ready to take the reigns of the UK offense — assuming, of course, that Rodney Purvis does not end up at UK. (Purvis tweeted that Harrow’s decision does not change his outlook, and Calipari will sell him on a tandem backcourt, a move he will inevitably try and will possibly work.)

The most defining aspect of the commitment, and why it matters, is that Harrow is a coveted commit when considered relative to the other possibilities. The Class of 2012 isn’t loaded with point guards. The only other viable options that could potentially be better than Harrow is L.J. Rose and Purvis. If neither of those two ended up happening, well, the 2012 season previews were bound to be ripe with “point guard position is a void to be filled.” Projecting Harrow as the point guard seems to bring more relief that the position has now been locked down, when before it was a gaping vacancy, and a sense of renewal as the first, albeit unofficial, piece of the 2012 recruiting class.

Calipari isn’t looking to end the streak of talented point guards at five. And so UK has Ryan Harrow.

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Harrow, a transfer from North Carolina State, will be eligible for the 2012 season. Coming out of high school, Harrow was considered a five-star prospect by Scout.com and was the No. 8 point guard in the class (behind Kyrie Irving, Josh Selby, Brandon Knight, Cory Joseph and three other relatively non-immediate impact guys). He was ranked No. 19 overall by Rivals.

Harrow started 10 games at N.C. State and averaged 23 minutes and 9.3 points per game. He sat out most of the beginning of the year before earning a spot in the starting lineup in January, following that up with 17 points against Florida State and 15 against Duke.

Coming out of high school, Harrow was considered a five-star prospect by Scout.com and was the No. 8 point guard in the class (behind Kyrie Irving, Josh Selby, Brandon Knight, Cory Joseph and three other relatively non-immediate impact guys). He was ranked No. 19 overall by Rivals.

An excerpt from Charlotte Observer columnist Luke DeCock said that Harrow flashed his promising potential but was derailed by illness, and he could have been one of the better point guards in the ACC his sophomore year.

It’s a shame, because Harrow showed flashes of real brilliance during his freshman year at State as both a scorer and distributor. His speed was a legitimate weapon, his shot a surprising one.

He never really fully displayed what he’s capable of doing — the virus that struck him in January knocked too much weight off his already slender frame, and it took Lowe far too long to get Harrow in the starting lineup ahead of Javi Gonzalez — but the potential was there, with enough production to generate confidence that he’d get there someday.

As a sophomore, Harrow had every chance to be one of the better point guards in the ACC. Wherever he lands, he’ll contribute.

That place now is Kentucky.