Newton’s Hagans chooses Kentucky

Guard had committed to Georgia; ESPN ranks him No. 18 in 2019 class.

Newton High five-star prospect Ashton Hagans committed to Ken- tucky. The rising senior made the announcement from his Twitter account Tuesday.

Hagans, a point guard, had been a target of Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner’s staff. Hagans previously committed to Georgia, but withdrew his commitment Feb. 26 with uncertainty surrounding the job security for coach Mark Fox, who ultimately was dismissed at the end of the season and replaced by Tom Crean. Hagans is rated the No. 18 player in the 2019 class by ESPN, but is considering reclassifying into the 2018 class, which would enable him to enroll in college in the coming academic year.

Hagans told 247 Sports that Kentucky was his “dream school.” Coach John Calipari offered him a scholarship in late March. It’s hard to fault Hagans, who harbors aspirations to be a one-anddone player, for choosing Kentucky, which has produced a slew of first-round draft picks in recent seasons.

Hagans is the second elite Georgia prospect who gave a commitment to Calipari in the past two days. Wheeler High power forward E.J. Montgomery, rated the No. 16 player in the 2018 class, gave his commitment to Kentucky on Monday. Should Hagans decide to leave high school a year early, the Wildcats will enroll five five-star players in the coming academic year.

He joins the list of elite prospects who have shared mutual interest with Tech but ultimately chose to play for powerhouses such as Duke, North Carolina and Kentucky, a trend that has shaped Pastner’s strategy to go after the tier of players below the one-and-done candidates.

ACC schedule arrives: The ACC announced its 2018-19 conference basketball matchups. Georgia Tech will play home games against Boston College, Louisville, North Carolina, Pitt and Wake Forest and travel to Duke, Miami, N.C. State, Syracuse and Virginia. The Yellow Jackets also will play home and away against Clemson, Florida State, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech.

CURTIS COMPTON/CCOMPTON@AJC.COM Newton guard Ashton Hagans might leave high school a year early.