Of the 20 players on this year’s Wooden Award late-season watch list, only 11 were ranked in the ESPN 100 coming out of high school. To take it a step further, only four were considered five-star prospects — and three of those are freshmen and probable top-5 NBA picks Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero and Jabari Smith.
This year’s final 20 players include breakout sophomores, mid-major superstars, late-blooming high-major performers and known quantities that have just been consistently productive throughout their college career.
But how did they all get here?
Why did it take so long for Villanova to take a chance on Collin Gillespie?
When did Kansas find out about Ochai Agbaji?
What made Oscar Tshiebwe pick Kentucky after eschewing the Wildcats as a high school senior?
What was Fran McCaffrey’s connection to Keegan Murray?
I reached out to sources at all levels of basketball to find out answers to those questions and more.
Going into Collin Gillespie’s final summer of grassroots basketball, he had just one Division-I offer. Not one high-major offer — one Division I offer, period.
Gillespie had played for a small AAU program in the Philadelphia area and had focused more on football than basketball during his first couple of years at Archbishop Wood High School. Wood was producing Division I football players regularly, and Gillespie was in line to be the team’s starting quarterback as a junior. But when Wood began building its basketball program and Gillespie’ local AAU program — the Northeast Sting — morphed into Team Final Black (an offshoot of the powerhouse Team Final program), basketball became an option.
Until the July before his senior year, though, Maine was the only D-I school to offer. Dozens of Division II schools were in contact, but few D-I schools were ready to extend an offer. And then Gillespie went out and put up 40 points in the semifinals against Team Melo at an Elevate Hoops event. Suddenly, the championship game against future Michigan guard Eli Brooks and the Jersey Shore Warriors was a must-see matchup for D-I coaches.
“That was supposed to be the springboard,” said Chris Roantree, who coached Gillespie with Team Final Black and was an assistant at Archbishop Wood. “A lot of coaches came to see him. But he hurt his knee in the first half. A lot of teams never got to see him after that. Nobody got to see him in Vegas; he wasn’t healthy. We thought a lot more teams would come in and see him. Guys were coming in to see our junior class, and they weren’t giving Collin the time of day.”
0:22
Collin Gillespie finds Brandon Slater under the rim to help Villanova grab a 73-67 win over Seton Hall.
Midway through Gillespie’s senior year, things changed. He held his own at the Gonzaga DC Classic against the likes of future Miami and Arkansas guard Chris Lykes; he went head-to-head with St. John’s guard Posh Alexander; he scored 42 points against Abington Senior High (Pennsylvania) and dunked on future teammate Eric Dixon.
Around this time, Villanova was clearly in need of a point guard. Brooks went to Michigan, Lykes went to Miami and Quade Green went to Kentucky. Wildcats assistant Ashley Howard, now the head coach at La Salle, was in attendance at the Slam Dunk at the Beach when Gillespie had a terrific game against a really good Roselle Catholic (New Jersey) team.
After another Villanova assistant, Baker Dunleavy, watched Gillespie, he called the family and mentioned the possibility of an offer.
“Villanova finally offered and Collin probably committed a week later,” Roantree said. “Went on a visit, liked what they had to offer. They were honest with where they [saw] him, how he [fit] into the program. How could you not want to play at Villanova, from Philly?”
0:17
Ochai Agbaji slams down the hammer for Kansas
Ochai Agbaji makes impact at Kansas earlier than expected
One day in his office back in the winter of 2017-18, Kansas assistant coach Norm Roberts received a phone call. On the other end was a trustworthy basketball source in Kansas City telling Roberts he should go watch this kid nearby. Roberts had never heard of local senior Ochai Agbaji.
The team had a day off a short while later, and Roberts decided to go down and watch Agbaji.
Roberts was impressed immediately. Agbaji was 6-foot-5 with wide shoulders. He looked bouncy in warmups and scored in a variety of ways en route to a 30-point performance. Roberts was intrigued, but wanted to see Agbaji again. A couple weeks later, Roberts went back to watch Agbaji against Isiaih Mosley (later of Missouri State) and Dajuan Harris (Kansas). Agbaji’s team lost, but he again made shots, scored consistently and looked good enough to play at Kansas.
Roberts had seen enough — it was time to bring Bill Self to a game so they could decide whether or not to make a move.
“Coach, this kid’s really good,” Roberts told Self. “We’re gonna have some scholarships, maybe we can take him. If he’s not ready to go, maybe we can redshirt him. He’s getting some calls from some people, this dude is gonna blow up.”
So Self went and watched Agbaji, and the Oak Park High School wing scored 35 points. Kansas offered, and it didn’t take long for Agbaji to pick the Jayhawks.
Now, there were no promises of extended playing time once Agbaji arrived in Lawrence — especially not as a freshman. Agbaji’s parents, who both played at Wisconsin-Milwaukee, were on the same page as the Kansas staff: If Ochai is ready to play, he plays now. If he’s not, redshirt him.
Midway through Agbaji’s freshman year, the season Kansas’ Big 12 title streak came to an end, big man Udoka Azubuike got hurt. Agbaji hadn’t played a second all season, but Self had constantly complained about his team’s lack of athleticism at the rim. Regardless of anything else Agbaji could do on the floor, he could undoubtedly add more explosiveness to the lineup. Self called Agbaji’s parents and told them he was going to take his redshirt off — and not just to play spot minutes here and there — to play at least 20 minutes the next night against TCU.
And the first play Self drew up with Agbaji in the game? A backdoor lob.
“He caught it and dunked — and just took off from there,” Roberts said.
Agbaji, who Roberts described as one of the nicest and most low-maintenance guys he’s coached at Kansas, has developed into an All-American and likely first-round NBA draft pick. As a senior, Agbaji is averaging 19.9 points and 5.2 rebounds, while shooting 50.1% from the field and 43.5% from 3.
He put his name into the NBA draft last season, but withdrew in the final days before the deadline. The biggest knock on him during the process? Lack of consistent aggressiveness. Agbaji has addressed that this season.
Recounting the feedback NBA teams were giving both him and Agbaji about the player’s performance, Roberts said, “Teams were saying, ‘You are the best kid, you had the best interviews. But when you got out there, you looked a little passive, you could be a little more aggressive. We told him to come back with the mindset, this is your damn team, we’re gonna play through you and you have to take it on. He came back and said, ‘Coach, that’s what I’m gonna do.’ In September, October practice, he was going up and down, pulling up. This dude was playing with a free mind.
“I look at [Self], ‘Can you believe this guy? He’s pulling up from 30 feet!’ He looks at me, ‘Let him do it.'”
1:46
Oscar Tshiebwe scores 27 points as the Kentucky Wildcats handle Florida with ease 78-57.
Oscar Tshiebwe doesn’t waste second chance at Kentucky
When Tom Droney first saw Oscar Tshiebwe in his sophomore year of high school, it wasn’t too dissimilar from the Oscar Tshiebwe who has established himself as the Wooden Award favorite entering the final month of the season.
Tshiebwe was playing up an age group in Las Vegas with the Team Loaded grassroots program and physically dominating his opponents — rebounding everything, dunking everything, with a constant motor.
“Obviously you could see he had to refine some things, but it was his sheer motor and physicality,” Droney said. “Oscar’s not the tallest guy, he has a 7-3, 7-4 wingspan. His ability to play against guys taller than him, it wasn’t a disadvantage, that kind of stood out to me. His relentless will, getting on the boards, sprinting down the floor every single time, setting screens.”
Tshiebwe, who only started playing basketball in 2014 and moved to the United States in 2015, was already on the high-major radar when Droney saw him. West Virginia was his first offer, but a handful of other programs had extended offers as a sophomore. After that summer in Vegas, Tshiebwe left Mountain Mission (Virginia) and enrolled at Kennedy Catholic (Pennsylvania), where Droney was an assistant coach. He also opted to play with the Wildcat Select grassroots program, of which Droney is co-founder and co-director.
West Virginia was always the clear favorite for Tshiebwe; the Mountaineers had strong relationships with some key people in Tshiebwe’s circle and were pretty entrenched early on. Some heavy hitters emerged as threats to Bob Huggins’ program, however, when Tshiebwe outplayed James Wiseman and Kofi Cockburn on back-to-back weekends during the July before his senior year. Kentucky, Baylor and Illinois joined West Virginia in Tshiebwe’s final four, and he took visits to all four programs — but the Mountaineers held on and landed his commitment.
Tshiebwe looked even better than a top-50 prospect as a freshman in Morgantown, averaging 11.2 points and 9.3 rebounds, earning preseason All-Big 12 honors entering his sophomore year. But things never clicked in his second season, and he played just 10 games and averaged 8.5 points and 7.8 boards before entering the transfer portal.
Droney points to a COVID-impacted offseason and Tshiebwe playing 15 pounds above his ideal weight as a couple of the reasons for his struggles. Once in the transfer portal, though, a clear favorite emerged — and Tshiebwe wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity this time around.
“Oscar has always held Kentucky in high regard, even since high school. He really liked them coming out of high school,” Droney said. “Having that opportunity, a second time around, it was kind of a no-brainer for him. He wanted to be in Lexington.”
There were some questions on Tshiebwe’s potential impact when he committed to the Wildcats: Why was he so bad as a sophomore? Was there something behind Kentucky’s rumored pursuit of Kofi Cockburn last summer?
Tshiebwe has answered every question in emphatic fashion, putting up historically impressive numbers at Kentucky. Entering Tuesday night, he was averaging 16.4 points and 15.3 rebounds while shooting better than 60% from the field.
“I had always thought if Oscar could play his role in a 4-out, 1-in type of situation and do what he does, he’ll be ultra-productive. He’s one of those guys you can stick onto any floor,” Droney said. “I think some people are looking at what Oscar is not able to do. Focus more on what he is able to do. He’s only been playing basketball for seven or eight years. He’s still learning, he’s still getting better. He’s a guy that impacts winning at a high level. We’re seeing what type of person he is. It’s not the narrative that was out after last year. He’s proving that he’s a special kid.”
Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis and Iowa’s Keegan Murray are two of the biggest breakout stars in college basketball this season — but the two stars have more in common than just a sophomore year emergence. Neither was considered a top-100 recruit coming out of high school. And both have a twin brother alongside them on the roster.
Davis was more highly touted than Murray coming out of high school. He was Mr. Basketball in the state of Wisconsin in 2020 — and was also a first-team all-state quarterback on the gridiron. But basketball was his main focus, and there was no question he was a high-major prospect.
Wisconsin had to keep the best player in the state home, and Greg Gard made him a priority early in the process.
0:20
Johnny Davis cuts into Rutgers’ lead with a floater plus the foul.
“Wisconsin was the one who really wanted him,” said Ike Wilson, who runs the Wisconsin Playground Club grassroots program. “Gard knew he was a kid that needed to be in a Wisconsin uniform. He went after him. It was a great fit. Wisconsin made him a priority; that’s why he went there. He always wanted to stay home and they made it feel warm to stay home.”
There was a bit of a pot-sweetener for Davis, too. The Badgers offered his twin brother, Jordan, who was more of a football player than basketball player at the time.
“They committed to Wisconsin before the July events started,” Wilson said. “They wanted to get it done before it got crazy.”
Davis’ breakout — going from 7.0 points and 4.1 rebounds as a freshman to 20.3 points and 8.2 rebounds as a sophomore — was foreshadowed a bit by his performance playing with the USA Basketball U19 team in Latvia last summer.
“He came back from that and, not that he wasn’t good before, but you could just see the swagger that he had,” Gard told me in the fall. “What that did for him in terms of confidence. And obviously he’s understood, once you’ve gone through a year of college basketball, you figure out your left hand isn’t good enough. You’re not strong enough. You’re not big enough. You’re not this or that. There’s no better teacher than experience and getting your rear end kicked around a little bit, individually.”
From a pure numbers perspective, Murray’s breakout is even more pronounced. He put up 7.2 points and 5.1 rebounds as a sophomore — and is now leading the Big Ten with 23.3 points and 8.4 rebounds. He’s third nationally in scoring, just 0.6 points behind Peter Kiss at the top.
His journey to Iowa can be traced back to Fran McCaffery’s time as an assistant coach at Notre Dame. While in South Bend, McCaffery recruited Murray’s father, Kenyon. So when McCaffery took over as the head coach at Iowa in 2010, his sons and Murray’s sons ran in the same circles, athletically.
0:20
Jordan Bohannon’s late 3-pointer is no good, but Keegan Murray stuns Penn State by tapping in the tying bucket for Iowa before the buzzer sounds.
“Patrick was in fourth grade. So were Keegan and Kris,” McCaffery said in October. “So they kind of grew up together. Played AAU. They always played against each other; they never played with each other. But they knew each other and liked each other, they were friends.”
Keegan and his twin brother, Kris, were under-the-radar nationally. Keegan was unranked at ESPN and ranked in the mid-300s by some other services. High-major offers weren’t exactly flying in for either player. But McCaffery saw them as high school seniors, and they were 6-foot-8, long and skilled. Iowa was interested, but didn’t have room for both.
“I talked to Kenyon about that, I said prep school might be something you want to consider,” McCaffery said. “Especially for us to take both of them. We probably had room for one, we didn’t have room for both at the time. But we wanted both. So he put them in prep school. And we signed them quickly. We got the commitment in October.”
When asked whether McCaffrey knew Murray could be this good, this quickly, he offers a bit of a smirk.
“Yeah,” he said. “I did.”
There are two non-power conference players on the Wooden Award late-season watch list: Oral Roberts guard Max Abmas and Colorado State forward David Roddy.
Abmas burst onto the national scene during last season’s NCAA tournament, when he helped lead Oral Roberts to the Sweet 16 after scoring at least 25 points in all three tournament games. It’s quite a change from his college recruitment, when the Golden Eagles’ biggest competition came from military schools and Ivy League institutions.
Oral Roberts head coach Paul Mills first saw him at an event in Dallas, and while Abmas looked like a potentially elite shooter, he was 6-foot, 135 pounds and was playing off the ball. That just doesn’t transition consistently to the college level.
“Who needs a 6-foot, 135-pound shooting guard? But they moved him to the point guard spot and he began to make plays,” Mills said. “He played with a kid who ended up going to Minnesota, and Max was out there making all these pick-and-roll plays with him. I thought, you know what, that kid can be a point guard.”
Certified Bucket Getter. ™️ @maxabmas #ORUMBB pic.twitter.com/kKT8HiVJLD
— ORU Basketball (@ORUMBB) February 13, 2022
Mills said Oral Roberts had to beat out Army, Air Force and Navy — but he was also worried Abmas was going to go to an Ivy League school and forget about playing basketball at the next level. Abmas, a mathematics major at ORU, was a member of the National Honor Society and a straight-A student in four of his seven high school terms.
“He’s extremely bright. We show him one thing on film and it’s over,” Mills said. “I thought he might go the academic route rather than the basketball route.”
After his March exploits last season, Abmas’ stock was at an all-time high. But Mills had zero concerns about Abmas entering the transfer portal and looking to go to a higher level. He also knew Abmas wasn’t going to just enter the NBA on a whim.
“Not a single second worried about him transferring,” Mills said. “The NBA, I didn’t know. It comes down to so many variables. He didn’t play well for those two days at the Combine. I was hurt and upset for Max. You realize how important those 48 hours are for a kid like Max. He had 8-10 more workouts after the Combine. But I knew he wasn’t going to make a bad decision.”
Roddy wasn’t quite as under-the-radar as Abmas at the high school level. He did have high-major interest and offers, but like Abmas, he had a unique size and skill combination. While Abmas was short and ultra-skinny, Roddy is about 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds.
In fact, Roddy was a high school quarterback and wanted to play football at the next level. But most high-level football programs wanted him to change positions; he wasn’t getting scholarship offers to play quarterback at most FBS programs. So basketball took center stage for Roddy.
“He was a terrific basketball player,” Colorado State head coach Niko Medved said. “I think most people didn’t quite see the ceiling he had in basketball. He was getting recruited by high-majors in basketball, but we stayed with it. We stayed with him, we built that relationship. We shared that vision as to what he could become as a basketball player.”
.@droddy22 said 💨#TeamTogether x #MobyMadness pic.twitter.com/83QItG6Cop
— Colorado State Men’s Basketball (@CSUMBasketball) February 12, 2022
After a huge summer showing with the Howard Pulley grassroots program, Roddy’s college decision came down to Colorado State, Minnesota and Northwestern. He took official visits to all three schools before picking the Rams.
“We were all [all three schools] serious about him,” Medved said. “But we were the most consistent. He really looked at it, he shunned what everyone else thinks you should do. He thought, I really trust these coaches, I really have a great relationship. He just trusted his instincts.”
Roddy made an impact quickly at Colorado State, his versatile skill set fitting in perfectly with Medved’s positionless offensive system. He’s steadily improved his scoring, now averaging a career-high 19.3 points on 57.3% field-goal shooting and 47.4% 3-point shooting.
“I’m pretty blessed to coach him,” Medved said. “I told everybody who will listen that I think this kid is a pro. He’s an elite player. You see him continue to grow and continue to work. He has so much room for growth. He buys into that. When you have talented people who are self-aware and motivated, it makes it easy.”
Wooden Award finalists: The rest of the best
James Akinjo, Baylor Bears (unranked four-star in 2018)
Akinjo’s career took several turns before ending up in Waco. Akinjo had a huge summer following his junior year of high school, winning MVP of the prestigious Nike Peach Jam and earning plenty of high-major offers. He committed to UConn in September before reopening his recruitment after Kevin Ollie was fired. After picking Georgetown, Akinjo won Big East Freshman of the Year in 2019 — but left the Hoyas after just seven games in 2019-20. He committed to Arizona, earned first-team All-Pac 12 honors, then departed following the coaching change in Tucson. Baylor needed a point guard after its entire starting perimeter group left, and Akinjo brought experience, toughness and playmaking ability.
Paolo Banchero, Duke Blue Devils (No. 4 in 2021)
Banchero was arguably the most productive and college-ready prospect in the 2021 class, and had been considered one of the best prospects in the country for a few years. Committing to Duke in late August came as something of a surprise, as Kentucky was heavily in pursuit, Tennessee had made up ground and Washington and Gonzaga were looking to keep him close to home. But Banchero chose the Blue Devils and became the anchor to yet another top-five recruiting class — the final one — for Mike Krzyzewski.
Kofi Cockburn, Illinois Fighting Illini (No. 50 in 2019)
Illinois was able to pull Cockburn away from the East Coast after a strong push during the big man’s senior season. UConn was perceived as the early favorite, with Cockburn taking multiple visits to the Huskies’ campus. But Brad Underwood brought Cockburn to campus in late December of his senior year and then landed his commitment on the official visit. Cockburn nearly left Illinois last summer after entering the transfer portal, but after exploring his options, decided to return to Champaign. “Kofi’s a really smart kid,” Underwood told me in October. “His legacy means a lot. His jersey is going to hang in the rafters.”
Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga Bulldogs (No. 1 in 2021)
Gonzaga was the clear favorite for Holmgren throughout most of his recruitment. There were several other schools on his list, but he only visited Gonzaga and Ohio State officially before the coronavirus pandemic shut down campus visits. Holmgren is close friends with fellow Minnesota native Jalen Suggs, who played at Gonzaga last season. Going the G League route was an option for Holmgren in the spring of his senior year, but the Zags maintained their position as the favorite and won out.
Jaden Ivey, Purdue Boilermakers (No. 84 in 2020)
As one high-major assistant recently told me, “Nobody saw this coming.” Ivey finished ranked just inside the ESPN 100 for the 2020 class, but he wasn’t exactly on every high-major program’s radar his entire high school career. In fact, his first scholarship offer came in the summer of 2018 — from Matt Painter and the Boilermakers. The son of Notre Dame women’s head coach Niele Ivey, Jaden did eventually receive an offer from the Fighting Irish, but Purdue being the first to jump into the race paid off.
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana Hoosiers (No. 27 in 2019)
When Archie Miller took over at Indiana in the spring of 2017, Jackson-Davis wasn’t a lock high-major prospect quite yet. But the Hoosiers were told to keep an eye on the son of former NBA veteran Dale Davis, who was playing less than an hour from Bloomington. A few months later, in the summer between his sophomore and junior year, Jackson-Davis emerged as a Big Ten-level player, and Indiana offered in June of 2017. Michigan State was considered the stiffest competition to Indiana, but the Hoosiers developed the closest relationship with Jackson-Davis and landed his commitment in November 2018.
Johnny Juzang, UCLA Bruins (No. 30 in 2019)
Juzang was originally a member of the 2020 class, but reclassified into the 2019 class in April of his junior year and committed to Kentucky shortly after. One of the best shooters in the country, Juzang struggled for most of his freshman campaign in Lexington before entering the transfer portal. The Los Angeles native wanted to return home — and it took less than two weeks for Juzang to announce he was headed to UCLA. Following last season’s huge NCAA tournament performance, Juzang took it down to the wire before announcing he was forgoing the NBA draft to return to Westwood.
E.J. Liddell, Ohio State Buckeyes (No. 38 in 2019)
Liddell was a clear priority target for Ohio State in the summer before his senior year. The Buckeyes were a presence at his games on the Nike EYBL circuit and were the favorite coming out of the summer. However, Missouri and Illinois both made strong pushes for the Illinois native — and even seemed to have an edge at times down the stretch of his recruitment. Liddell took visits to all three of his finalists, but Ohio State landed his commitment in October 2018.
Isaiah Mobley, USC Trojans (No. 16 in 2019)
This one is easy to explain. Andy Enfield smartly hired Eric Mobley as an assistant coach in March 2018. Not only was Mobley a longtime coach in the legendary Compton Magic grassroots program, he was the father of elite prospects Isaiah and Evan Mobley. Isaiah was the first to commit, pledging to the Trojans two months after their father’s hire. Evan would follow in his brother’s footsteps in August of 2019, eventually being selected third overall in the 2021 NBA draft.
Jabari Smith, Auburn Tigers (No. 6 in 2021)
Smith became Auburn’s highest-ranked commitment since at least 2007 when he picked the Tigers over Tennessee, Georgia, LSU, Georgia Tech and North Carolina. The G League was also an option, but Auburn convinced him to play in college. It always felt like an SEC recruitment, with Auburn and Tennessee at the top and Georgia and LSU also making pushes. Smith’s lone official visit was to Tennessee, but he also took unofficial visits to Georgia and Auburn, and his father played at LSU. Auburn’s location and style of play were the difference-makers, and now Smith has helped lead the Tigers to a historic season on the Plains.
Drew Timme, Gonzaga Bulldogs (No. 47 in 2019)
Timme had dozens of schools in the mix for him in the summer before his senior year. He had gone on a slew of unofficial visits, including one to Gonzaga, but nearly every school close to his Texas home also remained in pursuit. After an impressive summer, Arizona, Louisville, Michigan State and others all made his final list. Illinois was involved because Brad Underwood had previously extended Timme an offer while coaching at Oklahoma State. It was crowded, to say the least. But Gonzaga was the favorite down the stretch, and the Zags ultimately beat out Texas A&M to secure Timme’s commitment.
Zach Edey, Purdue Boilermakers (unranked three-star in 2020)
Of the 20 players on the Wooden list, Edey was one of the lowest-ranked prospects coming out of IMG Academy. But at 7-foot-3, Edey was always likely to play high-major basketball. The Toronto native reclassified from 2021 to the 2020 class following a summer with the Northern Kings on the grassroots circuit. Edey’s final three were Purdue, Baylor and Santa Clara — although other high-major programs including Minnesota also extended offers. The Boilermakers landed his commitment, and their recent history with supersized and productive big men didn’t hurt.
Bennedict Mathurin, Arizona Wildcats (unranked in 2020)
While Mathurin was unranked at ESPN coming out of high school, it had more to do with the fact ESPN doesn’t rank prospects playing their high school basketball outside the United States; he certainly wasn’t completely off the radar. Arizona and Baylor were the two major programs involved, with Mathurin visiting both schools before deciding. Mathurin played for the NBA Academy Latin America team in Mexico City and developed a strong relationship with Arizona assistant Jack Murphy while there.