University of Cincinnati head basketball coach Wes Miller added another blue-chip Bearcat when 6-foot-9, 220-pound four-star big man Tyler McKinley committed to the Bearcats Thursday evening.

McKinley was an early target of Miller's staff and has recently played for Link Academy in Branson, Missouri. He is currently the No. 1 recruit in Missouri at his position. Also on McKinley's list of suitors were Xavier, Ohio State, Tennessee, Alabama, Virginia Tech and Michigan State.

McKinley made his announcement via YouTube Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

"A lot of kids from Cincinnati might not get this opportunity," he told The Enquirer. "I feel like them being there for me off the court convinced me. You could tell they wanted me not only as a player but a person in the program."

Miller's connections key

He transferred to Link after two seasons at Walnut Hills for then-coach Ricardo Hill. Hill has since moved on to Indian Hill as head coach. UC's Miller is very familiar with Link Academy having recruited Hayden Koval, Jarrett Hensley and A.J. McGinnis from his first Bearcat squad from the school.

"I'm very excited for Tyler and his family," Hill said of the commitment. "He has a strong support system that has sent him on the right path his entire life."

At Walnut Hills, McKinley averaged 10.7 points and 6.5 rebounds as a freshman pivot, then returned as a sophomore to win ECC Offensive Player of the Year averaging 17.2 points and 7.4 rebounds. Miller made McKinley such a priority that the entire staff once showed up for a Walnut Hills early morning workout.

The early staff got the worm

"Having his entire staff show up for a 6 a.m. workout built the foundation of their relationship," Hill said.

Said McKinley," I got there and there was like six cars in the parking lot. They showed up as a staff. That showed me I was a priority"

Xavier's Sean Miller was also in the running for McKinley's services. It likely won't be the last time the two coaches named Miller pursue the same player.

"It was tough choosing between the two," McKinley said. "Both have great staffs and both have great history."

Listen to Coach Hill

Hill has a good track record with college-level talent dating back to MaCio Teague who won a national championship at Baylor. He also sent 6-foot-9 Isaiah Johnson from a Walnut Hills state semifinal team to Akron along with his own son Ricardo Jr.

According to Hill, those who missed out on Teague initially (UC and Xavier included) didn't want to miss out on McKinley. The veteran coach endorsed the post-player's move to Missouri last summer.

"The prep schools offer so much, the national exposure," Hills said. "You're on television just like you're in college. That's hard to compete with when you're a regular high school program. There's so much focus on basketball skills. Tyler's going to work on his strength and his body. You put all that together, you're talking about probably a future NBA player."

What's next for McKinley?

McKinley is slated to participate in the 2023 FIBA U19 Men's National Team Training Camp June 11-18 in Colorado Springs. He is one of 35 vying for a spot on the 12-member roster that will play in the Men's World Cup June 24--July 2 in Hungary.

Getting McKinley gives Miller another top local player like Rayvon Griffith (Taft, Combine Academy) and C.J. Fredrick (Covington Catholic, Iowa, Kentucky) this year. In UC's program history, there have typically been significant locals during their long NCAA runs in 1959-1963 and 1992-1993.

McKinley just added to that list and will be part of UC's second year in the Big 12.

"It's one of the best basketball conferences in the United States," he said.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati basketball: Bearcats add four-star recruit Tyler McKinley