Wilderness Getting SEC, ACC Attention

The No. 50 ranked player in the class of 2006 An’Juan Wilderness has been doing everything on the court for the Atlanta Celtics 16-under team. Wilderness, a strong, athletic 6-foot-6, 210-pound combo forward from Dunwoody (Ga.) High School is improving his perimeter skills. Schools all over the southeast are pursuing Wilderness, and he named three from the SEC that he likes the most.

“Right now I really like Florida, Georgia, and Kentucky,” said Wilderness. “There are some other schools I like, but these three really standout.”

“Florida and Kentucky are two schools that are recruiting me pretty hard. Tennessee just started sending me stuff and Auburn too.”

Buck Jenkins, head coach for the Celtics 16-under team, provided a broader picture of Wilderness’ recruitment.

“He is hearing from a lot of schools in the SEC and ACC, pretty much everyone in the SEC,” said Coach Jenkins. “Florida and Georgia have been very involved. UNC, Clemson, and Florida State out of the ACC are involved.”

A physical specimen and super athlete, Wilderness has already amassed over 1,100 points and 800 rebounds in his high school career. Last year while averaging 22 points and 12 rebounds per game, he led Dunwoody High School to a 29-1 record, with the only loss coming in the semifinals of the state tournament.

Now the focus for Wilderness is to complement his rebounding, defending, and scoring inside skills with better perimeter skills.

“I want to get better at shooting and ball handling this summer,” said Wilderness.

Coach Jenkins weighed in on the subject as well.

“An’Juan does pretty much everything well for us,” said Coach Jenkins. “He defends and rebounds, and you can count on him for 20 and 10 every time out.”

“He is working hard on his perimeter game. His passing is the most underrated aspect of his game. He is shooting better and shooting better off the dribble.”

This weekend Wilderness is traveling to Portland, Ore., with the Celtics 17-under team. Later in the month he will be at the 16-under nationals in Houston, Texas. Although plans have not been finalized, it is likely he will attend the adidas Camp in Atlanta during July.