Kenneth Wooten commits to Nevada
One of the more underrated forwards on the west coast ended his recruitment on Monday afternoon as Kenneth Wooten decided to commit to Eric Musselman and his staff at Nevada. The 6-foot-8 forward oozes upside and potential in the frontcourt and should be someone that grows nicely within the MWC program over the next four years.
Attending Manteca High School in Stockton, California, the 2016 big man is far from a finished product as a ballplayer. Running with the Dream Vision squad this past travel season on the Adidas circuit, the primary names enlisted on the roster included Brendan Bailey and Vance Jackson, not Wooten. There were some games that the long and rangy forward would receive just spot minutes. The reasoning behind it? Wooten has just been playing for the game for three years now.
Still a basketball adolescent on the hardwood, it is remarkable that Wooten will be playing high-level college basketball next year against such programs like San Diego State, UNLV, and New Mexico. What does Wooten bring to the floor that can enable for production against such successful programs? Wooten is an absolute killer on the defense end. He is more of a work in progress on the offensive end but on the other side of the floor, he can change the game with his shot blocking at the rim and out of helpside situations, can be used out in front of most full court presses, and even move his feet and contain smaller wings on the perimeter.
Wooten will definitely need time to acclimate himself further but if Eric Mussellman was looking for a sleeper forward who can turn into a versatile piece in a few years, Wooten was definitely the right guy to target. As to why the California native committed to the MWC program, he was straight and right to the point. “I just loved it there.”
After taking a visit to the campus two weeks back, Wooten spoke further on his decision. "It just felt like the best fit for me and they had a lot to offer on and off the court. I bonded really well with the coaching staff and the players. It was just all around, a perfect place for me."
With further time given and the quick learning curve that Wooten has displayed, it seems that the California native can be someone that really thrives at the next level and turns into a solid, two-way producer in Reno.