By JAMES MADDEN & SAM LANCE
MESA, AZ — Darius Wabbington is a 6-foot-11 , 245-pound center in the class of 2027 that just wrapped up a successful sophomore season at Sunnyslope High School in Phoenix. He was part of a team that made a run to the state championship game, before falling to Arizona commit Koa Peat and a loaded Perry High School team.
“I thought our season went real well,” Wabbington told ZAGSBLOG. “It was some ups and downs, but we were up at the right time and stuck together and never cracked.”
Wabbington will spend this summer playing with the Arizona Unity, bouncing back and forth between its 16u and 17u teams. He played for the 16s in Mesa, but told ZAGSBLOG that the plan is to move up and play with the 17s in Kansas City later this month.
“We lost last year in the championship on a buzzer beater, so we’re looking for some revenge,” Wabbington said when asked about his team’s goals this summer. “I feel like we were the best team last year, but we have to come out and prove that.”
Wabbington describes himself as a do-it-all big man who tries his best to make his teammates better. He credits his father, Derek Wabbington, as his biggest role model and someone that he has continued to learn basketball from. Derek played collegiate basketball at Wyoming and played semi-pro basketball in the Arizona area.
“He’s taught me a lot of what I know and has helped me become the player I want to be,” Wabbington said.
Wabbington has received a handful of offers early in his recruitment, but he’s more focused on the summer and improving his game. He provided an update on his recruitment to ZAGSBLOG:
LSU: “I haven’t talked to them much, except one time, but my coach is handling all that stuff behind the scenes.”
Stanford: “They had a really good big that plays like me. He can stretch the floor and plays really good defense. I feel like they really ran their offense through him, with his decision-making and playmaking abilities. And I like that.”
Arizona: “They are guard heavy, but had a good big this year. They’ve had some good bigs like Deandre Ayton and (Oumar) Ballo. I’ve been watching them over the years, just seeing how I can fit in.”
Purdue: “They had Zach Edey of course. A lot of people call them ‘Bigs University’ because of all the bigs that go there and their success. That’s something where, if they can develop me and I can help them win, it’ll be good.”
Oklahoma: “Jeremiah Fears, I watched him of course and he’s gonna be a great player in the league, but I didn’t really watch them too much because all this stuff is just becoming a reality, so I have to watch more college basketball.”
California: “They’re coach is real cool. I didn’t watch a lot of them. Great program, Jaylen Brown, came out of there. They have some hoopers, they know to develop and have new coaches that are ready to win.”
Wabbington said that building connections is the most important factor in his recruitment, and that he is looking for a place he is comfortable with calling home.
His favorite NBA player is Nikola Jokic, fittingly, and he is attempting to master his mother’s Chicken Alfredo recipe in his free time.
Wabbington is ranked at the No. 17 recruit in the class of 2027 according to 247Sports.
Follow James Madden on Twitter
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram
The post Darius Wabbington reflects on high school title run, upcoming summer appeared first on Zagsblog.