Wright picks Cincinnati over UT

In February, Cashmere Wright committed to Clemson because, he said then, he liked the atmosphere and that he’d feel more at home in Littlejohn Coliseum. Five months later, he changed his mind and reopened his recruitment.

Clemson’s loss is the University of Cincinnati’s gain.

Wright, a 6-foot point guard from Savannah, Ga., committed to the Bearcats. Even after giving his commitment to Clemson — and then telling scout.com that his commitment was 100 percent firm - he said Thursday that, looking back, he needed to take more time to think about his decision.

“We think we made the decision a little too early,” said Wright, ranked No. 75 by rivals.com and as the 11th-best point guard in the country. “We wanted to think about it and go back on it and see.”

What he saw was a school he didn’t want to attend. Maybe he saw touted point guard Demontez Stitt, who will be a freshman at Clemson this year. Maybe he wanted another style of play.

Either way, he reopened his recruitment, and he narrowed his choice to Cincinnati and Tennessee. He visited Cincinnati last weekend and Knoxville the weekend before. Apparently, he liked the Bearcats a little better.

“Cincinnati is a good city, and with the history they have, you can be a basketball powerhouse,” Wright said. “We’ll try to bring it back. After they run the pick and roll, I can be the right person to get the ball to the shooters and the big men. And I can score.”

After losing Wright, the Vols are expected to target 6-foot point guard Terrell Holloway of Hempstead, N.Y.