Five-star recruit, McCormaker, announced he's committed to Howard University, an historically

black university here in D.C., not just an historically black university, a flagship black

university historically, the 16th ranked high school player in the country.

The college basketball world was stunned this past Friday when 19-year-old McCurmaker,

a five-star recruit with NBA potential, passed up schools like Kentucky and Memphis and UCLA,

and instead chose Howard University.

The historically black university in Washington, D.C. has long been

known for its outstanding academics and rich cultural history, but not for its athletics program.

Today, in his first interview since his announcement, McCurmaker explains why he became

the first top prospect to commit to an HBCU in recent memory.

And later, Howard Men's basketball coach Kenny Blakeney offers his thoughts on why a new

generation of recruits are forging their own path.

I'm Pablo Torre. It's Thursday, July 9th.

This is ESPN Daily. Hi, McCour.

Thank you for joining me.

Thank you.

Thank you guys for having me.

So, McCour, late last week you announced that you're committing to Howard University

over Kentucky and UCLA and Memphis. What's the reaction been like to your decision?

It's been crazy. You know, I announced it. It was kind of midnight. I'm going to Howard. I'm taking

this road.

You know, it's a good thing to know that the country and almost globally, everybody supported me, that the choice that I made. You know, I'm getting a lot of feedback and a lot

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