Jerry Tipton on UK basketball

Junior college prospect Josh Harrellson I feeling “quite confused and torn” about his college choice.

Harrellson, a 6-9 power player for Southwestern Illinois College, visited St. Louis this past weekend. He has also visited Kentucky.

“When I went to Kentucky, I loved it,” he said on Monday. “I was ready to commit.

“When I went to St. Louis, I loved it a lot.”

So Harrellson said he planned to “do research” on the two programs this week before making a decision.  He said he’d look at such factors as the coaches, playing time and what players the programs might try to recruit next year.

“It will come down to the coaches,” he said before adding, “Distance might play a key factor.”

St. Louis is about a 30-minute drive from his home. UK is about five hours away. Harrellson cited “family problems” that might cause him to stay closer to home.

Tradition and status clearly weigh heavily in Kentucky’s favor.

“I would love to be able to tell my kids that I played for Kentucky,” Harrellson said. “That would be great.”

Harrellson averaged 14.8 points and eight rebounds last season.