Washington adds seventh signee

Coach Lorenzo Romar’s already highly acclaimed early recruiting class at Washington got even stronger with the signing of deep shooting 7-foot forward Joe Wolfinger of Beaverton, Ore., and now attending Northfield Mount Hermon Academy in Northfield, Mass.

As a senior last year at Beaverton, Ore., Aloha High School, Joe Wolfinger thought that he was going to become a DePaul Blue Demon. However, his official visit was cancelled, literally just before he boarded the airplane for Chicago. The Blue Demons recommended that Wolfinger spend a post-graduate year at a good prep school to add strength and weight to his 6-foot-11, 210-pound body.

Wolfinger followed this advice and was accepted by Coach John Carroll at Northfield Mt. Hermon Academy.

Now listed as a 7-foot, 230-pound power/wing forward, Wolfinger has made excellent progress according to Coach Carroll. “Joe is a 7-footer with good mobility, agility, excellent hands, and is an amazingly accurate shooter for his size,” said Carroll. “He has a great work ethic, the potential to play as a three-man in college.”

Wolfinger attended Portland Wilson High School as a freshman and sophomore, and transferred to Aloha High for his junior and senior years. He did not make any Oregon all-state lists last year, but, did average 14.2 points, and helped Aloha High reach the state playoffs.

He made official visits to Cincinnati and Florida State, but wanted to return to the west coast, and accepted the scholarship offer by Washington.

According to Coach Lorenzo Romar, Wolfinger provides great depth for his program with his versatility, size, and shooting range. Reportedly, Romar thinks Wolfinger has the skills and potential to become a college player comparable to former Connecticut standout Travis Knight.

Technically, with the seven recruits now in this recruiting class, if all the Huskies’ players returned next year, they would have 15 scholarship players or two over the limit. However, Coach Romar feels that several of his top players could turn pro, and one or more in this recruiting class might need another year to academically qualify.

Also, according to our information from NBA scouts, Washington signee 6-foot-7 wing forward Martell Webster could go high in the draft if he declares. So, Wolfinger is somewhat of a valuable insurance recruit for the Huskies.

He joins Webster, 6-7 power forward Jon Brockman, 6-9 center/forward Artem Wallace, 6-1 point guard Justin Dentmon, 6-5 guard/forward Harvey Perry, and 6-4 second guard Roburt Sallie in Washington’s bountiful fall recruiting class.