Cal basketball recruiting target Kenny Wooten decommits from ASU

Former Arizona State Sun Devils commit Kenny Wooten has decided to reopen his recruitment. The 6’8” big man was ranked the #1 center in Nevada and #6 center in the West by Scout. The four-star recruit was previously recruited by the California Golden Bears.

Wooten had picked the Sun Devils based on his father’s advice and the conversations he had with coach Bobby Hurley, but recently informed the ASU staff of his change of heart.

Wooten played in Northern California at Manteca High School and committed to Nevada in 2016. However, he then reclassified as a 2017 prospect and moved to Las Vegas where he has attended Trinity International School. Wooten is known as a high level defender: he blocked 9 shots to go with 26 points and 18 rebounds for Manteca in the 2016 CIF Championship Game. That season, he averaged a double-double: 13.6 points and 10.9 rebounds.

Last December, he discussed the programs in which he had interest: “Kansas, Arizona State, Arizona, Cal, Oregon, and USC are probably the ones I speak the most with.” At that point, he had already visited Arkansas, San Diego State, TCU, Texas A&M, and Maryland. According to ESPN, he had offers from literally half of the Pac-12 (including Cal) before his commitment to ASU.

Despite Cal’s previous involvement in his recruitment, landing him could be a long shot. Wooten still has four official visits at his disposal, but he has confirmed interest in Oregon’s program and is waiting to see how their scholarship situation shakes out. He has also received new offers from East Coast schools St. John’s and Seton Hall already.