LEXINGTON, Ky. — More than two months after its 2022-23 campaign ended, Kentucky basketball finally added a new face to next season's roster.

Jordan Burks, a 2023 forward from Hillcrest Prep in Arizona, committed to UK on Monday. He announced his decision on the I AM ATHLETE podcast.

"I feel confident in my decision because (UK) Coach (John) Calipari is genuine," Burks said on the podcast. "He's a family guy. He's honest. He doesn't lie. He tells every player the same thing: 'It's not going to be easy. If it was easy, everybody could do it."

He is the sixth prospect in the 2023 cycle to commit to Kentucky, which already owned the nation's top-ranked signing class. The Wildcats' other 2023 signees are guards Robert Dillingham, Reed Sheppard and DJ Wagner, wing Justin Edwards and 7-footer Aaron Bradshaw. UK also is in the running to land two more players to its roster this summer: Indiana guard Joey Hart and big man Somto Cyril.

Burks committed to UK a week after an official visit to Lexington. He originally was part of Ole Miss' 2023 class but was released from his letter of intent after the Rebels hired Chris Beard as their new coach in March.

The four major recruiting services are split on Burks: ESPN and On3 tabbed him as a four-star recruit, while Rivals and 247Sports gave him three stars.

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In other years, Burks likely would be a rotational player as a freshman. But given the state of the Wildcats' roster — along with the five other 2023 signees, the only returning players are rising sophomores Ugonna Onyenso and Adou Thiero, with a decision pending from fifth-year senior guard Antonio Reeves — Burks is in line to play immediately next season, earning minutes off the bench to spell Edwards, who should start at small forward.

While he isn't as highly rated as some of UK's other freshmen — Bradshaw, Dillingham, Edwards and Wagner are consensus five-star prospects — Burks has proven he can play.

Competing in Overtime Elite (a professional league for players ages 16-to-20, based in Atlanta) during the 2022-23 season, Burks won the scoring title in both the regular season and playoffs. He averaged 27.1 points per game in the regular season — nearly seven points per game more than the next-closest player. Burks then averaged 23 points a night in the OTE playoffs.

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That ability will be sorely needed for the Wildcats next season. If Reeves departs, Kentucky will have lost its top seven scorers from the 2022-23 roster. The 6-foot-9, 190-pound Burks could step into the role Reeves had last season: providing instant offense off the bench. Reeves scored 20 or more points as a reserve four times last year, the most in a single season by any Wildcat since Calipari's debut campaign in 2009-10.

"His length allows him to play multiple positions, be dynamic in the open court, rebound at both ends and he can put it on the floor and score in a variety of ways," Calipari tweeted after Burks' commitment Monday. "Jordan has challenged himself against the best of the best and wanted to continue to be pushed at the next level. I really love his toughness and his upside is tremendous, and that his dream since he was young was to play at Kentucky! I’m looking forward to getting in the gym and helping him take his game to new levels."

Burks also contributed in other ways at OTE, averaging 7.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game during the regular season.

Most importantly, he's another body on a team in desperate need of more with UK's appearance at the GLOBL JAM event in Toronto barely a month away.

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @RyanABlack.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky basketball recruiting 2023: Wildcats add 3-star Jordan Burks