Tony Wroten Jr. has a new leader
Words. Jason Jordan
Garfield H.S. (Seattle) guard Tony Wroten Jr. is back on the hardwood after tearing his ACL in a football game last fall. “It just feels great,” said Wroten, who had been a mainstay in the top 10 of the HSH national top 50 before the injury. “It’s good to be back. I don’t feel any different. I’m still the same player.”
There is one difference, but it’s got nothing to do with his skills on the court.
There’s a new leader in Wroten’s recruitment.
He confirmed to us early Wednesday that Connecticut was his front-runner, but after his “brother” Michael Gilchrist (St. Patrick H.S., Elizabeth, N.J.) committed to Kentucky live on ESPNU Wednesday afternoon, Wroten said that immediately propelled the ‘Cats ahead.
“Kentucky’s taking over the top spot for me now,” he said.
Got a burning question for Jason? Email him: JasonJ@DimeMag.com
isnt kentucky like every1′s leader? how original…
YOU KNOW IT SON!!!
haha jealous much?
Jealous of a team that doesn’t even get to the Final Four anymore and can’t get their players to open a school book and has Calipari as the face of the program? LMAO
Of course, this is the same university which had to fire both their AD & Coach Eddie Sutton to avoid getting the death penalty for their Men’s Basketball program.
Also the same program that has won more NCAA tournament games than anyone and has 7 national championships my friend. As for opening the books? Maybe you should open some books and do some research before you post about kids’ academic prowess because if you did, you would see something alot different than you posted but then again you are just posting out of hate and jealousy instead of facts so go screw yourself.
Way to go Thomas, thanks for telling it like it is. Christopher is like so many who let their mouths over load their rears.
“…this is the same university which had to fire both their AD & Coach Eddie Sutton to avoid getting the death penalty for their Men’s Basketball program.”
We did get the “death penalty.” But the DP is simply losing post season eligibility and scholarships, so after some dark years, Pitino had us nearly knocking off Duke in the most memorable game of all time in our first tournament back. Despite missing out on 1990 and 1991 postseason play, UK had the most victories of any team in the 90′s.
a lil…shutup…tar heels all day lol
Who can blame the kid? If my son was a top recruit with aspirations to play in NBA I would send him East in a minute. The exposure is so much better and playing for Calipari would be icing on the cake.
Who would’t want to play there? They have everything that appeals. I’d make the comparison to maybe USC in football from four or five years ago, but I’ve neve seen a coach/school/program have this kind of pull on high school athletes. Kentucky is a sick draw right now.
[...] Wroten, a 6′4″ point from Seattle, is ranked as the #9 player in the class of 2011 and told High School Hoop that Gilchrist’s commitment pushed the Cats to the top of his list. According to his Twitter [...]
[...] announcments. Second ranked 2011 point guard Tony Wroten is close with Gilchrist and now calls UK his leader because of the big news: “Kentucky’s taking over the top spot for me now.” Marquis Teague [...]
Well Mr. Wroten, Coming to Kentucky will be an experience you will remember for your lifetime and to have Calipari as coach will only take you to another level! Commit now and enjoy your Senior Year!!
Seriously? This is just getting stupid. If this Kentucky run for Calipari doesn’t end with a vacated final four, I think I’ll be the one who feels cheated.
Nikoli, cant you come up with anything beter than that to post?
This is a program that hasn’t been to a Final Four in 12 years and has won 3 NCAA Titles in the last 51 years including the last 40 years when they finally let black players on the team. Kentucky had the best program in the country from 1996-98 but have had very little significance in the college basketball world since then.
In the recent UCF report by Dr Lapchick on NCAA graduation rates, only 31% of the Kentucky Basketball players graduate including only 18% of the african-american players (national average is 56%).
No wonder they need World Wide Wes to shuttle players into their program from the East Coast.
Wroten is from Seattle…so there goes your whole WWW getting east coast players conspiracy theory. Plain and simple, we have the best coach, the best facilities, and the best fans…
Christopher…You are right about the last few years of UK basketball, but you didn’t say what the problem was. Now I will tell you…It was the coach we had who was lazy in his recuiting of players to UK so our program went down hill. He was ask to make changes and he refused. The next coach was wrong. Now we have a coach who has put our program back on track and the BBN is Happy. Time will tell where UK goes. I will say one more thing, the coach who left UK for another Univ. hasn’t done great since leaving UK
Christopher….I didn’t say the coach’s name in my comment, but after I went back and read what you said I just had to add to what I said. Tubby Smith really didn’t worry about his players and what you posted about the grad rates just goes to show what I said was right.
wow this is so funny….Its funny how cocky UK fans are now…too bad it takes WWW and Lebrons Marketing firm to make uk relevant again…too bad Cal will end up doing the same thing he did at Umass and Memphis….The funny thing is he jets before the sanctions drop only to leave the school in trouble yet a school that was once prestigious has to stoop this low to get some wins….Ill admit he can get some players but when you have WWW and lebron how can you lose…Thats why all he will get is one and dones and its hard to get championships that way
Anthony…..You need to research what you say before you talk. What did Coach Cal do to UMass & Memphis ? If you are talking about the R.U. Final Fours being vacated, then you need to check the NCAA reports. In it, it states “The Coach is not responsible for the violations”. So get your statement correct before you tell it
Its funny that all these UK haters have a lot of negative things to say about MY UK Wildcats but yet I dont hear anything about whoever they root for. Put some energy into whats so great about your team (if you have one). Oh and I believe UK will be hoisting up another banner in the next year to three for sure!!
i jus wanna kno how many of these ppl were uk fans last yr…or if they jus hopped on the bandwagon like lbj
For those wearing the “blue blinders,” congratulations on your recruiting run of late. I’m sure that all of it has been done in the most ethical, and honorable, of ways. How else could it be that Calipari had barely mediocre teams at Memphis for years…until the appearance of WWW? Then suddenly, Memphis was drawing the top recruits in the country. Hell, had Cal stayed at Memphis, he would have had the team you had this past season PLUS Xavier Henry. At Memphis??!! Anyone will the intellectual acuity beyond that of a soap dish can recognize that something smells a little fishy in “Squid-ville.” By the way, this is from a general fan of college basketball. With the current trend, I’m better off following the NBA. At least the dealings there are made public.
Good luck with your “one and dones.” I could be wrong, but I doubt that they’ll bring the banner you so covet. Either way, I don’t think that you’ll convince many outside of the Commonwealth that things are being done above board. To me, the trend is ruining college hoops. And that’s just plain sad.
TW: Uk looks great, these girls, wow, I have to shake my head. So I think i’d like to come to UK
Cal: alright, that’s great!
TW: So i guess that leaves a little bit of business we got to discuss.
Cal: business?
TW: i figure a non-white, blue chip athlete like myself deserves something extra um, so this what Im looking for….
Cal: (stares intently, chewing on some kind of pasta)
TW: I’d like to have about 30 grand, id like to have it in cash, and uh….you can just toss it in one of those gym bags you got…I’ve been around, Ive seen alot of things and Calhoun has offered me this much already so if you can match that offer, I’m yours coach.
Cal: (not like Nick Nolte at all, says;) “Deal.”
This why all true sports fans should cheer for Duke. The only program still winning with student-athletes and not hired guns. Have some pride and walk towards the light. With the 2010 national championship, order has been restored and we’re accepting applications for the bandwagon. Jump on. Feel better about yourself. Set a better example for the kids. Be a better person. Go Duke.
Tony Wroten is the truth. He can lead UW to a final 4 or national championship