Randy Sartin-USA Today Sports
Just last month, Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari released a statement on his website saying that junior-to-be forward Kyle Wiltjer had decided to leave the program in Lexington.
Initially, rumors began surfacing that Wiltjer would opt to transfer and pursue a larger role elsewhere and the list of potential suitors quickly began to develop. Some were skeptical about Wiltjer’s transfer however, and the possibility of returning to Kentucky was not out of the question. Well, over the weekend, reports confirmed that Wiltjer would indeed be on the move and the heavy favorite over the course of the past few weeks won the race for his future services. That of course being the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
Wiltjer, who was a former top 50 prospect coming out of high school, has seemingly been overshadowed by the immense amount of one-and-done talent that Kentucky has welcomed in over the past few seasons. Wiltjer played himself into a bigger role this past season as a sophomore, but this year’s batch of newcomers was expected to force Wiltjer back into a role position.
This is a smart move by Wiltjer and he has found an ideal fit with Gonzaga that will allow him to re-energize his professional potential. Wiltjer is long and rangy and he can shoot the three ball, which will allow head coach Mark Few to have a valuable weapon for the future at the power forward position. There’s no doubt that Wiltjer, who is an original native of Oregon, can’t step right in once he is eligible and potentially be the best player on the Bulldogs’ roster.
Wiltjer will have to sit out the 2013-14 season per NCAA rules, but he will hit the court will two years of eligibility beginning the following season.
Follow Paul Seaver on Twitter: @PaulSeaverRS
