Wooden Will Visit His Leader
Keith Wooden, a well built 6-8, 220 pound power forward from Free State H.S. in Lawrence, Kan., will officially visit Arizona State next weekend.
Back at the Great American Shootout in Denton, Tex., last month, Wooden told Rivalshoops that ASU had emerged as the leader in his recruiting process. Nearly a month and a half later, the Sun Devils are still holding on to the lead in this recruiting battle.
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"Nobody else has really offered me," Wooden said. "I feel real comfortable with Coach [Rob} Evans and Coach [Russ] Pennell, and I am looking forward to meeting some of the players on my visit there."
Wooden's visit to Arizona State will take place from Aug. 30-Sept. 1. It's likely that he will attend the Sun Devils' football home opener that weekend against Eastern Washington.
In addition to the Sun Devil program, Wooden said he is still considering Xavier, Indiana, DePaul, Kansas and Connecticut.
While some programs might be holding off on jumping in on Wooden due to his uncertain academic status, Arizona State's persistence could pay off if his trip to Tempe is a fruitful one.
"A commitment is a possibility," Wooden said when asked if was ready to pull the trigger on an early fall commitment. "I feel real strong about Arizona State, but I also want to see if anyone else puts an offer on the table."
Prior to his senior year (which began on Aug. 15) at Free State, Wooden said he had discussions with some big-time boarding schools like Oak Hill Academy in Virginia and the New Hampton School in New Hampshire about the possibility of transferring there this fall.
So depending on his academic progress this year and results on the ACT exam, prep school could also be an option for Wooden next year as well.
Last season at Free State in the shadows of the KU campus, Wooden averaged 18 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks per game.
This past summer, Wooden attended the Nike All-American Camp, the Great American Shootout, the AAU Super Showcase and the Kansas City Prep Invitational. He attended the latter three events with L.J. Goolsby's K.C. Nets program.
We will keep you posted on Wooden's recruitment, so keep it here for the best info on the Class of 2003.