North Augusta, S.C. – Wesley Yates can’t believe that time is coming, but he also can’t deny that his massive list of college suitors is “a lot” to manage, especially during the circus that is the Nike Peach Jam.
“Coaches are here watching us all week, so they turn up the communication way more,” says Yates, a 6'5'' shooting guard. “I know that I’m gonna have to cut my list down some; maybe to around nine. That will be tough because I have a lot of great options.”
It doesn’t diminish the degree of difficulty to peer over at the sidelines of his games and see the droves of coaches watching his every move from the pregame warmups to when he walks off the court sporting his backpack after a game.
“I definitely look over there to see who came out to the game,” Yates says. “It’s not as big a deal if they don’t, but if they do it shows me that they’re really trying. All of the schools that I keep in touch with regularly have had their full staffs at my games.”
DFRITZ
The full-house approach extended to his two latest offers as well; both Memphis and Clemson have made their presence felt at Yates’ games all week. That could pay off for Memphis next week, Yates said he “could possibly” take a visit to see the Tigers during that time.
“I’m not all the way sure just yet,” he says. “But I should know pretty soon on that one.”
Duke reached out to Yates a few weeks ago and has followed up “a few times” since, according to Yates. That’s a big deal since he grew up a diehard Duke fan and told Sports Illustrated that he’d “definitely” take a visit to Durham, N.C., if the relationship continued to persist.
“If the offer comes it comes, but I’m focused on the schools who have offered me,” Yates says. “I’m taking an official to LSU in September. I know I’ll take one to Gonzaga and Arkansas, too.”
Yates has already taken official visits to Stanford, Washington and Auburn and unofficials to Houston, Baylor and LSU. If he opts to draw out the trimming of his list, chances are he’ll add more heavy hitters to sift through.
Yates has been on a tear all week for LivOn/Fleur De Lis (La.) and dropped 24 points in a standing room-only matchup against CP3 (N.C.) while NBA stars like LeBron James, Chris Paul and Cade Cunningham sat courtside.
“It’s already a tough process, but it only gets tougher as you start to get more serious about it,” Yates says. “It’s fun, but it’s probably the biggest decision I’ve ever had to make, so I’m gonna go through the process slow and do everything I need to do to be sure.”
