Heights junior Evan Wessel saw no need to continue his days as an uncommitted basketball player. He had a scholarship offer from Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall, which is what he wanted for a long time.
"It's basically always been my dream to go there," Wessel said. "I really like what Coach Marshall is doing. They're headed in the right direction."
Wessel, offered last fall, went to Marshall's office on Monday morning with his parents. He gave Marshall a verbal commitment and plans to sign with WSU in November.
Playing for the Shockers is a family thing for Wessel, a 6-foot-5, 190-pound guard. His father, Todd, played football at WSU. Everett Wessel, his grandfather, played basketball.
"Most of my family is from around the Wichita area, so they'll be able to see me play," Evan Wessel said. "Family is a big part of my life."
Wessel averages 13.3 points, 5.7 assists and 7.9 rebounds for Heights. He was an All-Metro pick and led the Falcons to the Class 6A title as a sophomore. He plays defensive back for the football team.
"I think they're getting one of the best players in the Midwest," Heights coach Joe Auer said. "He's a versatile athlete."
Wessel plays point guard for the Falcons. In college, Auer said he could play either backcourt position or small forward. He considers Wessel a good outside shooter and one of his best post defenders.
"This means I have to work even harder," Wessel said. "I really think I can fit in. I like how they get after it on defense."
Wessel said he also visited Kansas State and Oklahoma and checked out Kansas along with sophomore teammate Perry Ellis. Auer said Minnesota, Stanford and Missouri State also recruited Wessel.
Marshall cannot comment on recruits until they sign a national letter of intent.
Should Wessel sign, it will end a long drought of City League talent at WSU. He would be the first scholarship Shocker from the City League since Craig Steven from 1998-2003, who first joined the team as a walk-on from Bishop Carroll. He would be the first player to accept a scholarship out of high school from the City League since East's Juston White in 1998.
Hatch honored — WSU junior Graham Hatch is a third-team Academic All-American as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
Hatch, a guard from Mesa, Ariz., carries a 3.7 grade-point average in chemistry. He averages 9.4 points and 4.0 rebounds as a starter for the Shockers.
Athletes must be a starter or key reserve and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.30 to be eligible.
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