2011 SG Wayne Blackshear is best described has being a smooth player. A player that makes the game look easy at times with his ability to score from all points on the floor. A now 6′5″ 205 pounds (and still growing) Blackshear is one of the top players in the 2011 class, and has coaches from all over the country recruiting the Chicago native. One of those coaches in Kansas head man Bill Self, who has shown that he likes the toughness that Chicago area players have. According to Blackshear’s step father, Blackshear shares that toughness and will to win.
With his recruitment heating up, trying to separate the differences between every school and every program is easier said than done. The good news for Blackshear, is that he has a great support system around him that will help Blackshear through the recruitment process.
“We will talk about it with his mom and coaches, and hopefully narrow it down at some point,” Blackshear’s step-father Kevin Thomas said. “Maybe in the fall he will shorten the list so he can concentrate on school,” Thomas added.
Right now, Blackshear and his family are just trying to get more familiar with the schools recruiting him. With no shortage of schools recruiting him, that task will not be all that easy. However, as of late, two programs have started making themselves more familiar to Blackshear and his family.
“Louisville and Kansas are the main two recently,” Thomas said. They have made their presents felt, but we aren’t shunning any schools right now. We are open and just want to learn more about this whole process,” Thomas added.
With programs like Kansas, Louisville, Illinois, Texas and others recruiting the smooth SG from Chicago, it’s easy to understand why Blackshear is just taking his time and getting as much information as possible about each program. The Jayhawks are certainly a program that Blackshear and his family have some knowledge about already, including about a current and former Kansas player.
“We know about Sherron Collins,” said Thomas of Chicago native Collins. “We also know Julian Wright who played at Kansas. Kansas we feel good about, but we feel good about other programs too. We do hope to get a chance to go visit Kansas though, hopefully sometime soon,” Thomas added.
With the busy schedule of the summer basketball scene, it might be a couple months before Blackshear and family have the opportunity to sit down and discuss everything regarding his recruitment. It’s then that Blackshear and his family hope to have a chance to narrow his list a bit, make some visits, and possibly come to a decision. With his great support system around him, Blackshear will certainly make a decision on what’s he and his family think is best for him.
