UK commit Wenyen Gabriel shines at Bluegrass Showcase
Head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats John Calipari is all smiles during second half of the Sweet 16 of the 2015 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament against the at Quicken Loans Arena on Thursday, March 26, 2015 in Cleveland , Ky. Photo by Jonathan Krueger
December 13, 2015
By Anthony Crawford
On a day when the current UK team would go on to win against Arizona State University at Rupp Arena, a future cat would also be playing in Lexington at the Bluegrass Showcase hosted by Tanger Sports at Dunbar High School.
As always, there is no rest for head coach John Calipari, who was in attendance along with assistant Kenny Payne.
The main attraction of the showcase was the headline game Wilbraham Monson Academy (Wilbraham, MA) and UK commit Wenyen Gabriel against Athlete Institute Basketball Academy (Toronto, ON) and Thon Maker, a player who had some interest from UK early on in his recruiting, but his recruitment by UK has since stopped.
The game would be a contest that pit two top-25 players in the 2016 class against each other, with Gabriel ranked No. 15 and Maker No. 11.
The other game of the showcase also had some Cats connection with two top-ten players from the 2017 class squaring off. Both DeAndre Ayton (No. 3) and Jared Vanderbilt (No. 6) have had some level of interest from UK.
Wenyen Gabriel
Class of 2016
★★★★★ Power Forward
National Ranking: 15
Position Ranking: 4
Height: 6-9
Weight: 195
The five-star power forward put on an impressive show at Dunbar High School for the Bluegrass Classic. The UK commit put on display the athleticism that will allow him to make an impact on both sides of the court for the Cats next season.
In a matchup that heavily favored the 7-footer Maker, as far as size goes, Gabriel showed the ability to hold his own. Gabriel did great battling for position in the post and was able to deny the entry pass multiple times.
Maker has the uncanny ability to play on the perimeter with his size, but this just allowed Gabriel to impress in even more ways as he was able to force tough shots and even came away with some steals.
“I don’t get to go on the perimeter all the time but being on this team I’m able to do different things,” Gabriel said.
The steals he forced and defensive rebounds he gathered also led to him being able to showcase his abilities in the open court. Even with his 6-foot-9 frame, Gabriel is a hard player to stop on the fast break. He even broke out a nice crossover a couple of times running in transition that allowed him to get to the rim.
While he may feel comfortable in the open court, it was clear that he struggled in half court sets at times. The forward has a quick enough step to get to the rim and a soft enough touch to finish inside when given the opportunity, but does not look as comfortable shooting from the perimeter.
He was able to score when it mattered, though, as he was vital to his team in overcoming a six-point second half deficit. Gabriel was able to put a bad shooting first half behind him to score 11 straight points.
“I was just thinking, ‘Fight,’” Gabriel said. “I was just trying to get back into it.”
Gabriel flashed the potential that led Calipari to offer him a scholarship as he was able to score from all over the floor, including a three-pointer, a mid-range shot, and off of an offensive put-back with Maker contesting heavily.
The toughness and effort earned Gabriel a bloody lip, but he never backed down or shied away from the physicality of the game.
“It’s part of the game,” Gabriel said. “They try to beat me up every game. It’s only making me better.”
Gabriel finished the game with 24 points, and his team went on to win 83-73.
DeAndre Ayton
Class of 2017
★★★★★ Power Forward
National Ranking: 3
Position Ranking: 2
Height: 7-0
Weight: 235
Ayton is rated as high as number one on some recruiting sites and the 7-footer showed why with his impressive outing against Victory Prep Academy. He was able to score 18 first half points and put the game away so much that he barely played in the second half. The junior showed off every move in his arsenal as his first half highlights included making three three-pointers and an impressive one handed slam.
Jarred Vanderbilt
Class of 2017
★★★★★ Small Forward
National Ranking: 6
Position Ranking: 2
Height: 6-8
Weight: 200
Vanderbilt and his team struggled in their matchup with Ayton and Hillcrest Academy, but that still didn’t stop the five-star forward from putting on a show for Calipari. Vanderbilt scored 33 total points and looked especially dominant in the second half where he scored 23 points. The forward was able to drive inside and get fouled whenever he wanted and showed a nice shooting touch as he hit a couple threes.
