Ohio State missed out on a commitment from five-star shooting guard Kameron Mercer on Thursday when Mercer announced his decision to commit to Cincinnati on ESPN. Mercer joins the Bearcats out of Cincinnati Princeton High School.
He chose Cincinnati over Ohio State, Louisville, Maryland and Xavier. Mercer is ranked 11th in the country and is the top shooting guard, according to 247Sports composite rankings.
Ohio State has long had Mercer on its radar, extending a scholarship offer to the prospect in July 2024 before he had set foot on a basketball court as a high school player.
Since then, Mercer has won a gold medal with the U16 men’s national team in the FIBA Americup. In that tournament, Mercer averaged 5.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.2 steals per game, playing in six contests for an average of 14.9 minutes per game.
In his 2025-26 high school season, Mercer played in 17 games and averaged 14.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.4 steals per game, helping Princeton to a 25-3 overall record. Mercer’s best scoring performance last season came in a 94-48 win over Colerain, when he scored 27 points.
There’s a long way to go until signing day, so Diebler could still try to flip Mercer, but it seems like it will be an uphill battle trying to get the five-star away from his hometown.
