Princeton High School star shooting guard Kam Mercer committed to the Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball program during a broadcast on Thursday, May 21, 2026.
He also announced his decision to reclassify from the 2028 recruiting class to the 2027 class.
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The 6-foot-5 local prospect chose the Bearcats over rival Ohio State.
He also received scholarship offers from high-major programs including Xavier, Louisville, Missouri, Florida State, and Memphis, according to reports from Rivals and WLWT.
Fit and Development
Evaluators have praised Mercer’s length and athleticism as a wing.
They believe he can become a solid two-way player early in his college career and adapt to the competitiveness of the Big 12 conference under first-year head coach Jerrod Calhoun.
During the past high school season, Mercer averaged 14.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.4 steals per game.
He led Princeton to an Ohio state championship.
He also won a gold medal with the USA Basketball U16 National Team last summer and captured the Nike EYBL Peach Jam 16U division title.
Mercer detailed his decision-making process and explained that the ultimate deciding factor for choosing the Bearcats came down to his projected fit within the team's schematic system.
"It definitely wasn’t an easy decision whatsoever. It really came down to Ohio State and UC for me.
I think the ultimate decision maker was probably fit. UC’s roster right now, I think the smallest player is what, 6-3 maybe?
