Verdejo Having Great Year

It wasn't long ago that Jesus Verdejo, a 6-foot-4 sharpshooter from Puerto Rico, didn't qualify academically and had his recruiting process re-opened. The Winchendon School is now the place where Verdejo continues to showcase his terrific offensive skills.

According to Winchendon head coach Mike Brynes, Verdejo is having a great season. "He's averaging 20 points a game," Byrnes said. "He's a very good offensive player. He can score from anywhere on the court."

Verdejo produced some terrific scoring numbers the past two winters at the Miami Christian School in Florida. Verdejo appears to have settled in nicely with Byrnes highly-regarded program.

Jesus' AAU coach Art Alvarez is the key person that Verdejo relies upon during the recruiting process. "Jesus is going to take five visits but they won't happen until after the season," Alvarez said. "He hasn't decided where he will go but there is a wide range of schools he is interested in."

Some of the schools include Arizona, Illinois, Wake Forest, Clemson, Rhode Island, Northeastern, Temple, and Miami. Jesus is still open. "He will probably go to the best school that fits him right now," Alvarez said. "He might bypass some of the bigger schoools. He needs to go to a school where he has a chance to play right away."

Alvarez said Jesus would start forming a serious visit list sometime in March. The Winchendon School concludes its season around the first or second week of March after the NEPSAC tournament.