Toni Kukoc's son commits to Penn

• TWEET
• SHARE
• SHARE

It's been a rumor for some time now, but now it's official. Toni Kukoc's son Marin Kukoc has committed to Penn. Dick Jerardi writes in today's Daily News: "Penn got a commitment from Marin Kukoc, Toni's son from Chicago. He is just the latest in what is shaping up as a terrific recruiting class."

What Jerardi says is right. Penn has a dynamite recruiting class coming in next year, no matter which way you slice it. I've been covering the Class of 2014 extensively here on The Buzz, and it now stands at seven total players: Steve Rennard, Casey James, Dau Jok, Miles Cartwright, Cameron Gunter, Fran Dougherty and Marin Kukoc.

As far as I know, it's not over yet. Kevin Panzer, who committed to Penn and then de-committed, is not out of the running to re-commit. I'll be clear: I don't know anything for sure, except that he hasn't made his decision yet and Penn is still pursuing him. And I also don't think Penn is done pursuing other options, even with the huge class they already have.

As for Kukoc, the NBA pedigree is obviously the first thing that sticks out. He is a 6-6/6-7 swingman at about 185 pounds (that's a guess on my part). I don't know much else about him at this point, but the DP should have a full story later today or tomorrow. But I posted some videos after the jump which will hopefully give a better sense of him as a player.

And here's a look at Marin Kukoc off the court:

I'll say one thing for sure, Zack Rosen is going to have lots and lots and lots of shooters around him next year. If Penn isn't the best three-point shooting team in the league in a year or two, then the Palestra isn't the greatest college basketball arena in the country.

But on the flip side, I could see there being major problems with next year's roster. Here's how it stands now based on players who are expected to return: Zack Rosen, Jack Eggleston, Rob Belcore, Tyler Bernardini, Dan Monckton, Mike Howlett, Conor Turley, Zack Gordon, Larry Loughery, Brian Fitzpatrick, Malcolm Washington, Sean Mullan, Tommy Eggleston and the seven recruits. That's a total of 19 players, which is completely absurd for an Ivy League roster (or any college basketball roster). It seems all the recruits are still going to stick with Penn, unless something drastic and unexpected happens, which could mean some upperclassmen get cut from the roster. Is that really possible? We'll just have to wait and see.

The last interesting point I'll make for now is how this is going to affect the coaching search. Unlike the last time Penn went looking for a coach, the cupboard isn't bare this year. Whoever takes the helm next year, whether it's Jerome Allen or someone else, is going to have a superstar point guard for two years and a group of seven freshmen who could all wind up being quality players.

I still think Allen is the clear front runner, and he has played a role in these recruiting efforts which certainly gives him even better odds, but you can't put them at 100% just yet, and this class along with Zack Rosen could attract a coach with an impressive resume. Yet again, we'll just have to wait and see.