Myck Kabongo is a serious player and person. He's also a man of his word and for that reason, the decision he made Saturday was one he wrestled with for a long time. Backing off a college pledge wasn't something he ever envisioned happening and he's not interested in the publicity that comes with being a high-profile, available senior. He is, however, interested in making sure of his decision and for that reason Kabongo decommitted from Texas.
To avoid the onslaught of interest and attention, Kabongo is looking at only five programs and made it clear he's only interested in relationships with a select handful of programs.
"I'm not opening it up to everybody but I'm going to open it to certain schools," said Kabongo. "I'll look at Syracuse, Duke, North Carolina, Texas and Kentucky. That's it."
Kabongo committed to Texas in January 2009 when he was a student at St. Benedict's. The native of Canada now attends Findlay Prep in Nevada and is ranked No. 8 overall and the No. 2-ranked point guard.
"In life you want to make sure that the decision you make is right," Kabongo said. "In life, you can't just get married to the first girl you meet. You have to see if it's right. My sister and my brothers, I asked my family and they told me to see if it's the right thing and I should see other places."
For Kabongo, winning is everything and you'll notice the schools he intends to build relationships with have a habit of winning games.
"I have to be most comfortable with being able to come in and make an impact and win. I want to be able to impact and win a national championship."
Kabongo said he's 60 percent sure he'll sign during the late period and would like to take visits to help with his decision. Since he hasn't visited Texas officially, he's got a trip he can take to Austin and all five officials remaining.
"The next step is talking, visiting and building relationships and meeting new people," Kabongo said.
Often times, when a prospect opens his recruitment, the school he decommitted from becomes an afterthought. However, Kabongo intends to seriously look at Texas, where Cory Joseph and Tristan Thompson are countrymen and former traveling team teammates.
"Texas has done well with point guards at the next level," he said. "They're still going to be up there."
The news is rough for the Longhorns. The only elite level option at the point outside of Kabongo is Oak Hill's Quinn Cook. Ryan Boatright, another recent decommitment, is the other ESPNU 100 point still on the board. Kabongo understood his decision put Texas in a predicament, but he felt it was best to be certain of his choice.
"I talked to [assistant coach] Rodney Terry and Coach [Rick] Barnes. They feel bad, but in my heart Texas is the No. 1 school," said Kabongo. "I just have to make sure if that's right for me. I want to go in and win somewhere."
Dave Telep is the senior basketball recruiting analyst for ESPN.com. His college basketball scouting service is used by more than 225 colleges and numerous NBA teams. He can be reached at espndt@gmail.com. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter.