Two stand out most to Wroten

Anthony Wroten Jr. missed his entire junior basketball season with a knee injury but his father, Tony, Sr., said recruiting has not taken a hit at all.

Wroten, a 6-foot-4 point guard, will be out on the AAU circuit this summer as many of the nation's top programs keep pursuing him.

"Things are going great here," Wroten, Sr., said. "He just got approved 100 percent from the doctor last week so we're just working him in, getting him back in shape and everything is going really well."

Rated as the second-best point guard and No. 9 recruit by Rivals.com, Wroten tore his anterior-cruciate ligament (ACL) during Seattle (Wash.) Garfield's football season and had surgery in September to repair it. According to reports, Wroten's rehab has been going well but the decision was made not to push his return.

"It's been tough," Wroten, Sr. said. "What I've been telling people is that the Lord works in mysterious ways. He's really had to mature, that's all he's done his entire life. He's had to do some other things and work on other things, parts of his game - shooting for example. When he gets out on the court he'll be a better player for it.

"It's been tough for him absolutely. It's been mentally tough. He's one of those kids that love the game. He's all about the game, the feel for the game and his teammates.

"It was just tough the whole junior year. They ended up not doing as well as they certainly would have and they didn't make the state playoffs and that kind of stuff. It's been tough in that regard but he'll be fine."

Despite missing his junior season, Wroten's recruitment continues to go along well. Villanova and Washington have becomes favorites of Wroten, who is also considering Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse, Connecticut and Texas.

"Everybody that was there is still there," Wroten, Sr. said. "He's getting recruited by just about everybody in the country. I don't know if there is such a thing as having to narrow it down. He pretty much has a top 10 with a top five or six inside of that. It's been pretty consistent as far as that goes."

Villanova and Washington stand out more than the others, Wroten, Sr. said, because of how coach Jay Wright and coach Lorenzo Romar allow their point guards to create and involve their teammates. Everybody is still in the running but Wroten, Sr. said the Wildcats and Huskies are getting much closer looks.

"He's friends with all those guys (at Villanova) and he really likes the way Jay Wright plays the guards," Wroten, Sr. said. "It's a style that works for him.

"Washington with coach Romar they are way up top, too. Getting up and down the floor and doing a lot of creative stuff. That's his strength, being able to use his creativity and getting players involved. That's certainly something we're looking at."