Nathan Smith, a 7-foot-1 English center from Barking Abbey School in London, has officially signed with Western Kentucky. (Photo courtesy Barking Abbey School)

Nathan Smith was priority No. 1 down the stretch for Western Kentucky.

The Hilltoppers signed the 7-foot-1 center from England on Friday, and as a result, two planned recruit visits last weekend didn’t materialize.

Kennesaw State graduate transfer center Willy Kouassi didn’t visit WKU as expected because the Tops filled a vacancy with Smith, according to Darien Knox, Kouassi’s former AAU coach and guardian.

The 6-10, 233-pound big man with one year of eligibility remaining instead visited another top Conference USA program last weekend, said Knox, who declined to name the school but said it would be public knowledge soon.

Kouassi has also visited North Texas and has planned visits upcoming to Arkansas, Memphis and Ole Miss.

WKU also didn’t get a visit as planned from Sean Lloyd, a three-star 2015 wing originally from Philadelphia.

Lloyd, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound shooting guard out of Mt. Zion Prep Academy in Baltimore, told the Daily News on Sunday that “things didn’t go through with compliance.”

But what the Tops had truly hoped to find heading into the summer was one more true center prospect.

They found that in Smith, a 7-1, 235-pound post player with just 2 1/2 years of experience playing organized basketball.

“I signed with WKU as I got a good feeling from there when I went on a visit last month,” Smith said in an interview on the website of his school in London, Barking Abbey. “The coaching staff and players are all great and are very passionate and committed to basketball. The whole school and community are passionate about basketball and they all want to see you succeed at the highest level.”

If WKU were to add another piece to next year’s roster, it would likely be UConn transfer foward Rakim Lubin.

Lubin’s mother, Sabrina, told the Daily News on Sunday that WKU is still “definitely” in the running for her son. The 6-8, 260-pound freshman will have three years of eligibility remaining after he sits out a season per NCAA rules.

— Zach Greenwell