Recruiting Update - October 21st | Michael Wearne commits to EWU; Alanna Smith to Stanford
With a number of Aussies already on their respective campuses for the beginning of the academic year, we're already looking ahead to next year. 2 athletes from the class of 2015 have announced their commitments - Michael Wearne to Eastern Washington University and Alanna Smith to Stanford University.
Michael Wearne
Michael Wearne | Credit: Kangaroo Photos
Michael Wearne, the 6'1 guard out of Melbourne, has committed to Eastern Washington University. Wearne will join fellow Aussies Venky Jois, Felix Von Hofe and Daniel Hill.
Wearne officially visited Eastern Washington earlier this month and had plans to visit the University of Montana, however the chance to potentially start for Eastern Washington and make an NCAA Tournament run was too good to pass on - describing it as 'a perfect fit'.
A member of the most recent Australian U19 Emus training camp squad, Wearne was key for the Dandenong Rangers during this year’s SEABL campaign, averaging 3 ppg, 2 rpg & 1.2 apg over 20 games.
Alanna Smith
Alanna Smith, the 6'3 forward out of Hobart, has committed to Stanford University. Smith was born in Hobart but played the majority of her junior basketball for the Nunawading Sprectres in Victoria.
Smith was a member of the Australian U17 Women's squad back in 2012, playing a key role at the 2012 FIBA U17 World Championship for Women in Amsterdam - averaging 5.6 ppg, 5 rpg & 1.8 bpg in 8 games.
Smith was also named to the Australian U19 Gems squad for the 2014 FIBA Oceania Pacific Youth Championships. A successful showing at that tournament would see the ‘Gems’ qualify for the 2015 FIBA Under 19 World Championship for Women in Chekhov, Russia next July.
Harry Froling
Harry Froling, the 6’9 PF out of Townsville, has received an offer from Boise State. Froling also has offers from UNLV, St Mary's and Washington St, among others.
Froling was a key member of the Australian U17 squad, providing big minutes off the bench - averaging an impressive 7.1 ppg & 3.1 rpg in 7 games. He was also named to the Australian U19 Emus squad for the latest training camp.
Daniel Mading
Texas Tech and Arizona State are among those who have offered Class of 2017 Aussie Daniel Mading this past week. The 6'9 forward out of Perth has seen his recruitment take another step forward after an impressive showing at the John Lucas Midwest Invitational last weekend.
Mading, who attends The Rock School in Gainesville, Florida, is also receiving interest from NC State and Georgetown, with other high-major offers likely on the horizon.
We caught up with Mading earlier this week to talk about his upbringing, recruitment and how he's adjusting to life in the US.
Chima Moneke
Chima Moneke, the 6'6 SF out of Canberra, ACT, has received offers from Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona.
Moneke has attended Northeast (JUCO) since 2013 but will be looking to transfer to a division 1 college in 2015 to finish his final 2 years of eligibility.
Thon Maker
Thon Maker, the 7'1 centre out of Sydney - by way of Sudan and Perth, Australia - is one of the most sought after prospects in all of high school basketball, with every high-major program going after the talented Aussie.
Kentucky, Indiana, Kansas, Stanford, Missouri and Maryland are the teams that are reportedly recruiting Maker the "heaviest." Although Maker's recruitment continues to rise, he isn't expected to make a decision any time soon - especially with his potential reclassification still in the air.
