Kansas gets 2010 AZ recruit

[DWKB]

Royce Woolridge from Sunnyslope High in Phoenix, AZ.

Jayhawks get basketball commitment from high school sophomore
By J. BRADY McCOLLOUGH
The Kansas City Star
LAWRENCE | How much can a national championship help in recruiting? The Kansas basketball program found out on Wednesday night when Royce Woolridge, a high school sophomore from Phoenix, Ariz., gave an oral commitment to KU for the class of 2010.

“Royce told me last night,” said Dan Mannix, Woolridge’s coach at Sunnyslope High. “I think there are a few factors. Obviously, Kansas has a great program, one he really admires. He had talked about a few schools that really stood out – if you could play for them, he’d like to, and that was one of them.”

While KU doesn’t yet have a commitment for the Class of 2009, the Jayhawks already have one for the following year. Rivals.com called Woolridge’s commitment the earliest in Arizona history. Woolridge, a 6-foot-2 shooting guard, chose KU over UCLA, Arizona, Arizona State, California and Georgetown.

“He’s a scorer,” Mannix said. “That’s the best way I could describe him right now. He has really deep range for a young guy. You can’t teach 23-foot range, and he has that. He would probably be more of a combo guard. He can break people down off the dribble.”

Mannix expects Woolridge to grow a couple more inches before he comes to KU. After all, Woolridge’s father, Orlando, was 6-foot-9 and played 13 seasons in the NBA.

 

[Russ Smith]

yeah I saw this. His brother committed to Tennessee will be a freshman this year but his brother played in So Cal. So did the family move to Arizona or do the brothers not live together?

My understanding is the kid UCLA, ASU, UA and USC all want at that spot in that class is Tyler Lamb, but I know they were all recruiting Woolridge too.

We need to find a way to keep kansas and UNC out of Southern California!

 

[Skkorpion]

High school sophomores are now committing to colleges?

This is idiocy. The kid's dad should be throttled.

 

[Gaddabout]

We need to find a way to keep kansas and UNC out of Southern California!

Kansas has been doing it for awhile now. It's not a new thing. I'm pretty sure they use cult mind washing tactics to convince kids to move from the beach to Kansas.

 

[Gaddabout]

High school sophomores are now committing to colleges?

This is idiocy. The kid's dad should be throttled.

This has been going on for more than a decade now, just not in Arizona because Arizona having more than one high major D-1 recruit identified before their senior year is a relatively new phenomenon.

 

[Russ Smith]

High school sophomores are now committing to colleges?

This is idiocy. The kid's dad should be throttled.

Skkorp you don't know the half of it. Kentucky got a verbal yesterday from a kid from Thousand Oaks Ca who's a 15 year old 8th grader! I don't know what's worse another 8th grader committing to a college, or the fact that this kid is 15 in 8th grade because his parents had him repeat 8th grade so he'd be more physically mature.

I was 15 at the start of my junior year of HS(turned 16 in November).

 

[Russ Smith]

This has been going on for more than a decade now, just not in Arizona because Arizona having more than one high major D-1 recruit identified before their senior year is a relatively new phenomenon.

Yep Soph verbals are somewhat common, UCLA has one from Kendall Williams who's the same year as Woolridge. In fact UCLA had a 2010 commit before they had any commits from 2009.

The thing to remember is verbal commits are completely meaningless the kid can change his mind at any time it's not binding, and the team can change their mind too. It does suck that these guys get recruited hard at this age but it's certainly not just Kansas the whole country is after these young kids.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

There's a lot of time left in this kid's recruitment and if he doesn't grow I'd expect KU to recruit over him. I've heard the 6'2 estimate is a complete farce, he's supposedly closer to 5'10 which is why the local schools have yet to offer.

 

[DWKB]

Kansas has been doing it for awhile now. It's not a new thing. I'm pretty sure they use cult mind washing tactics to convince kids to move from the beach to Kansas.

As opposed to that big beach in AZ

I'm still not sure how you all convince all those UofA recruits that Lute is still alive. Now that's mind washing.

 

[Gaddabout]

As opposed to that big beach in AZ

Dude, you've never been to Big Surf?

 

[NMCard]

Skkorp you don't know the half of it. Kentucky got a verbal yesterday from a kid from Thousand Oaks Ca who's a 15 year old 8th grader! I don't know what's worse another 8th grader committing to a college, or the fact that this kid is 15 in 8th grade because his parents had him repeat 8th grade so he'd be more physically mature.

I was 15 at the start of my junior year of HS(turned 16 in November).

Will he be able to play as a senior in HS?

 

[Russ Smith]

Will he be able to play as a senior in HS?

Not sure. My junior year we had a kid transfer in from anotehr HS who was I think 19 and he was ruled ineligible per CIF age rules but that's 1983. With holdbacks being so common now I'm not sure if the rule has changed seems like 19 at the start of your senior year is not all that unusual now. in fact I think ND QB Jimmy Clausen was 19 at the start of his senior year.

 

[DWKB]

Bump for an update on him. Anyone have a chance to see him? Seems he's grown 5" in the last two years (listed currently at 6'3").

As for the confusion regarding his brother at UT, they have different mothers, hence the different living situations.

 

[Russ Smith]

Bump for an update on him. Anyone have a chance to see him? Seems he's grown 5" in the last two years (listed currently at 6'3").

As for the confusion regarding his brother at UT, they have different mothers, hence the different living situations.

his brother is actually playing more than expected at UT this year. has nice range, game is nothing like his dads was(dunk or nothing).

I've never seen Royce play though.

 

[DWKB]

his brother is actually playing more than expected at UT this year. has nice range, game is nothing like his dads was(dunk or nothing).

I've never seen Royce play though.

I believe combo guard with a slasher mentality. His 3PT% will definitely need to improve and I think that will come with coaching and age, but the kid gets to the foul line and hits his free throws.

Plays tonight against Thunderbird HS.

 

[DWKB]

Royce Woolridge: AZ Big Schools Player of Year

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/preps/articles/2009/03/21/20090321bigboyplayer0322.html

Displays of emotions are seldom seen from Royce Woolridge, who passes time at home pulling weeds out of the yard.

He doesn't say much or show much. He just puts up a lot.

But after hitting a 3-pointer early in the third quarter of the Class 4A Division I final, the Phoenix Sunnyslope junior guard ran down the court, barking at Avondale Agua Fria's Robert McQueen for dunking on Woolridge's teammate during a surge late in the first half that brought Agua Fria back in it.

It got him a technical, but it showed the passion that this was his moment, his team's turn to rise.

It did. It beat Agua Fria 78-65 for only the second state title in Dan Mannix's 40 years at the north Phoenix school.

Woolridge finished with 32 points, after scoring 30 in a semifinal against Tucson Catalina Foothills.

That was followed by a 41-point effort against Scottsdale Saguaro's 6-foot-5 Steven Morin in the quarterfinals.

In the first round, Woolridge had 26 points, before coming out with six minutes left in a rout of Tucson Cholla.

"In the tournament, he was unbelievable," said Mannix, who has had a lot of great players come through Sunnylope in his long career, but no one like Woolridge, a slasher with a nasty streak and a great jump shot.

"In the third quarter of that championship game," Mannix added, "he took over.

"I'm biased. I saw the other players play. (Phoenix St. Mary's senior guard Demetrius) Walker was surrounded by terrific talent. North had the two big guys around (Daniel) Bejarano.

"With us, it was Royce. I think about what he did for our team. . . . "

Woolridge faced double teams, traps. You name it, he broke it.

In four state tournament games, Woolridge averaged 32 points, and, in a year when five or six players can make cases for individual top honor, Woolridge emerged as The Republic's Big School (Class 4A-5A) Player of the Year.

He averaged 28.5 points, scoring from inside or outside, with monster dunks and high-arcing, velvety 3-pointers.

Who can forget his school-record 52 points in the final of a holiday tournament against Phoenix Shadow Mountain?

He made 25 of 30 free throws in that overtime victory.

Or what about the 44 points he scored two games later at Tempe McClintock?

Or the 42 he had three games after that against Cave Creek Cactus Shadows?

It all confirmed why Kansas coach Bill Self offered a scholarship to the 6-foot-2 star before his sophomore year was completed, a scholarship Woolridge couldn't let go by, especially after Kansas won the national championship.

Woolridge snatched it up, much to his mother's happiness. Lots of snow, fewer distractions, hard-core basketball.

"I felt I could work more on my game than go out and get scholarships," Woolridge said about his early commitment.

He simply went out and got a ring.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Never seen him in person but I've heard he's quite the player. The two biggest impact 2010 hoops recruits in Arizona are heading to the Big 12 as of right now by the way despite the sleeping giant in Tempe.

 

[overseascardfan]

Never seen him in person but I've heard he's quite the player. The two biggest impact 2010 hoops recruits in Arizona are heading to the Big 12 as of right now by the way despite the sleeping giant in Tempe.

ASU at least is getting Walker this year and Hawkins next year.

U of A needing bodies should go after some players from Arizona like Byron Fulton, Walker's HS teammate, Donte Medder out of Mesa HS until the new HC comes in hopefully he can reel in some big time recruits.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

ASU at least is getting Walker this year and Hawkins next year.

Woolridge and Bejanaro are on a whole different level.

U of A needing bodies should go after Byron Fulton, Waker's HS teammate and Terrell Stroglin just to fill out their roster and when the new HC comes in hopefully he can reel in some big time recruits.

Arizona has enough Big Sky/WCC players on their roster, they need impact guys that can contribute to championship-caliber teams. We're not going to shell out $2 million a season for a coach to bring in a bunch of overachievers with no upside just because they're local kids. Brendon Lavender, Zane Johnson, and DJ Shumpert are already handling that for us.

 

[overseascardfan]

Woolridge and Bejanaro are on a whole different level.


Arizona has enough Big Sky/WCC players on their roster, they need impact guys that can contribute to championship-caliber teams. We're not going to shell out $2 million a season for a coach to bring in a bunch of overachievers with no upside just because they're local kids. Brendon Lavender, Zane Johnson, and DJ Shumpert are already handling that for us.

Woolridge is only a 3 star recruit, same as Walker. He is on the small side at 6'1 and is a SG plus Kansas is the only school to have offered him a schollie. Bejarano I agree is the best prospect in the state but I think Walker is #2.

I am talking about the '09-10 season. There are no other recruits looking at Arizona that are entering college this year. Victor Rudd is probably the only "rated" prospect that has U of A on his list. We need to be able to dress enough guys, Budinger may come back, Hill is gone, I am looking at 2010 as the year to bring in some elite recruits with whomever the next HC is unless some of his recruits jump ship with him.

 

[DWKB]

Woolridge is only a 3 star recruit, same as Walker. He is on the small side at 6'1 and is a SG plus Kansas is the only school to have offered him a schollie. Bejarano I agree is the best prospect in the state but I think Walker is #2.

I promise you Woolridge won't be a 3 star once they reevaluate the next class. Recruiting sites don't really evaluate a class fully until the senior year. As for the small side of 6'1 I hear differently from almost everywhere I read about the kid.

KU is the only school to offer him a scholarship because we offered when he was a sophomore and he accepted immediately. Why would another school look at him? Hell KU was the only school to offer Cole Aldrich as well. Does that mean anything? This is KU, not some mid tier school.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Woolridge is only a 3 star recruit, same as Walker. He is on the small side at 6'1 and is a SG plus Kansas is the only school to have offered him a schollie. Bejarano I agree is the best prospect in the state but I think Walker is #2.

They why did Woolridge win POY over all these guys? And the biggest reason his ranking lower is due to how he projects to the NBA as a SG at his size. But he still is top 100 nationally unlike Hawkins and I believe is two full years younger than Walker.

I am talking about the '09-10 season. There are no other recruits looking at Arizona that are entering college this year. Victor Rudd is probably the only "rated" prospect that has U of A on his list. We need to be able to dress enough guys, Budinger may come back, Hill is gone, I am looking at 2010 as the year to bring in some elite recruits with whomever the next HC is unless some of his recruits jump ship with him.

Budinger and Hill are gone, Wise is 50/50 probably depending on the coach. I don't care how many fresh bodies we have, if we clutter the roster with marginally talented scholarship players we will only slow down the process of building a championship team.

And just because there's no players with Arizona interest now (not surprising considering we don't have a head coach for next year) that doesn't mean it will be the case in a couple weeks with the right hire.

 

[PoolBoy]

oh no. the sleeping giant is dead. a recruit passed up ASU for Kansas!

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

oh no. the sleeping giant is dead. a recruit passed up ASU for Kansas!

As well as Texas and Indiana. Herb is a big 0-fer thus far on keeping the elite talent at home.

 

[overseascardfan]

I promise you Woolridge won't be a 3 star once they reevaluate the next class. Recruiting sites don't really evaluate a class fully until the senior year. As for the small side of 6'1 I hear differently from almost everywhere I read about the kid.

KU is the only school to offer him a scholarship because we offered when he was a sophomore and he accepted immediately. Why would another school look at him? Hell KU was the only school to offer Cole Aldrich as well. Does that mean anything? This is KU, not some mid tier school.

Then why didn't U of A or ASU offer him, he is in their own back yard? As for Aldrich KU was not the only school to offer him as it came down to Minnesota where he is from and Kansas. Talented kids get recruited thats how recruiting works. Unless a talented kid has issues such as grades, legal baggage or is uncoachable schools will usually offer scholarships that's what that means. As far as Royce is concerned you can have him Terrell Stroglin is a guy I am hoping stays in state.