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Omari Spellman commits to Villanova

Ohio-native pulled the trigger for the 'Cats on his mother's birthday.

KELLY KLINE UNDER ARMOUR

Omari Spellman has made his college decision and will be heading to the Main Line to play for Jay Wright and the Villanova Wildcats, he announced on Twitter today.

Spellman, the 6'8" MacDuffie School (MA) star, is considered the number-five center according to the 247Composite rankings and becomes the first member of Villanova's 2016 recruiting class.

Spellman was considered a heavy Kentucky lean (despite not holding an offer) in the 247 Crystal Ball, while Ohio State (Spellman is originally from Ohio) was also considered a frontrunner for his commitment.

Earlier in the week, Scout ranked the Ohio-native as the 61st best high school player, regardless of class.

With the commitment, Jay Wright appears to have landed the premier post-player he was seeking to replace Daniel Ochefu, who will graduate before Spellman enrolls. With just Darryl Reynolds and the incoming Tim Delaney as the only other true frontcourt players on the roster, the coaching staff has filled a major roster need.

Spellman cropped his list of schools to 15 in January and selected 'Nova over Kentucky, Ohio State, UCLA, UConn, Pitt, Arizona, Miami, West Virginia, Virginia, Florida, Indiana, Wake Forest, St. John's, and Seton Hall.

Congrats Omari, and welcome to 'Nova Nation!