Wesson’s dedication to improve reaps reward
It took Kaleb Wesson a long time to think of himself as an elite basketball player, especially one who would emerge as a four-star national prospect.
“Up until I started to blossom in eighth grade, I was just bigger than everybody else, that’s all,” Wesson said. “It took some time for the skills to develop.”
It also took some physical reshaping in order for Wesson to reach that potential and enjoy a banner senior season for Westerville South, capped by him earning the Associated Press Mr. Basketball award Wednesday.
After Wesson was cut during tryouts for the U.S. junior national team last June, team officials told him his weight played a role in their decision.
The highly skilled but sometimes lumbering 6-foot-10, 325-pounder used it as constructive criticism. Through focused training and dieting, Wesson opened his senior season at 280 pounds.
“I took it upon myself with help from my parents and trainers,” Wesson said. “It was just a matter of eating right and working out more. The first thing I did was give up soda and that made a big difference. I started counting calories and became serious about understanding what’s
healthy and what’s not. I also discovered that conditioning was more important to me than lifting weights.”
By preseason workouts, Wesson — and his coaches — saw the results.
“I used to come in dead-last in practice sprints,” Wesson said. “I was a lot closer to the middle of the pack this year.”
Coach Ed Calo and others convinced Wesson that a trimmed-down frame would suit him well in the future. He had committed to Ohio State the summer before his sophomore season.
“We talked about the landscape of college basketball, which features sleeker, more athletic big men who can get up and down the floor,” Calo said. “During workouts, we started to notice a much greater bounce to him. I just looked at a picture of the state championship team the other day and it was astonishing how much he's changed.”
Wesson averaged 22.4 points and 12 rebounds per game and shot 66 percent from the field in helping South to a 19-7 record. His career totals of 1,234 points and 790 rebounds rank third and first, respectively, in program history.
Perhaps a defining moment for Wesson was a schoolrecord 49-point performance against Upper Arlington in which he missed just two shots.
“That was not the highlight of my season,” Wesson said. “The fact that we lost that game (68-67) still bothers me.”
He said he was more proud of his consistent effort against a top-notch nonleague schedule that included the likes of national powers Huntington Prep (W.Va.) and Paul XI of New York and state powers such as Cleveland St. Ignatius, Garfield Heights, Pickerington Central, Eastmoor Academy and Newark. Other finalists for the award, voted on by district chairmen statewide, were Kyle Young of state semifinalist Massillon Jackson, Dwayne Cohill of Parma Heights Holy Name, Justin Ahrens of Versailles, Dane Goodwin of Upper Arlington, Ethan Linder of Haviland Wayne Trace and Parker Black of Byesville Meadowbrook. Ahrens and Goodwin are Ohio State junior commits. Kenny Gregory of Independence (1997), Jared Sullinger of Northland (2009, 2010) and Trey Burke of Northland (2011) are the only other area winners of the award, which began in 1988.
Many are looking for Wesson to immediately boost the talent pool of an Ohio State program that struggled this season. He will follow in the footsteps of his father, Keith, who played for the Buckeyes in the mid-1980s, and his brother, Andre, who just completed his freshman season.
Following an 83-54 rout of perennial power Dayton Dunbar in a regional final, No. 2 Trotwood-Madison (25-2) looks formidable. Four players score in double figures for the Rams, led by state co-player of the year Torrey Patton (20.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, 6.0 assists).
Patton will tangle with the other co-player of the year in Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary’s Jayvon Graves (21.5 ppg.), a Buffalo signee. The Fighting Irish (23-5) have been to the final four 11 times since 2000 with six titles.
After a 6-5 start, Eastmoor Academy (22-6) has been on a roll. The Warriors have eight players between 6-3 and 6-7. First-team all-Ohioan Taevion Kinsey (15.8 points, 4.0 assists) is a rising junior prospect.
Wauseon (26-1) thrives on a defense allowing 37.9 points per game. Only two opponents have topped 50. The Indians have three players scoring between 12.8 and 14.3 points per game.