Ethan Wisden 'beyond excited' to join UCF Basketball family
UCF Basketball will soon have a 7-footer patrolling the paint in Ethan Wisden, a Class of 2022 commitment who recently took his official visit down to Orlando.
Wisden, who just graduated from Highland Park High School in Amarillo, Tex., will play a prep school season this fall at BigTyme Sports Preparatory Academy in Rockwall, Tex., with plans to enroll at UCF next summer.
UCF discovered him earlier this year when one of Wisden's coaches reached out to assistant coach Kevin Norris and the Knights offered shortly thereafter. It was a dream come true for Wisden, who was concerned about getting exposure during the COVID year with his AAU season canceled and college coaches not permitted to be on the road.
"It was amazing (getting that offer)," Wisden said. "One of the best feelings. When you work so hard for something and you start to see results, it's a great feeling. Sometimes words can't truly describe. You worked so hard and it's here. It was an amazing experience."
He said a few other schools were in touch at various times, including Gonzaga, Florida State, TCU and Texas Tech, but none had offered yet. He ended up committing to UCF in late April.
"For me, it was more than just the basketball program," Wisden said. "The relationship I built with Coach Norris and Coach (Johnny) Dawkins was more like a family... I love Coach Dawkins. He's a great dude. He obviously has that background at Duke and played in the NBA. He's definitely a coach I want to play for."
Wisden took his official visit to UCF the weekend of June 11.
"It was amazing," he said. "I like the weather. It's a beautiful campus. The culture and the foundation they're building is something I want to be a part of. UCF was in the tournament a couple years back and I want to keep that going. I want to take us further. B.J. Taylor, I saw something he said afterward and I want to help UCF take that next step to the Sweet Sixteen and Final Four. That's my goal. I know we're gonna be special. We've got great dudes coming in and a great coaching staff. I'm excited."
Not all players were on campus during Wisden's visit weekend, but he did connect with incoming freshman P.J. Edwards who was moving in. His host was Levy Renaud.
"We went out to dinner (on Saturday), then went over to ICON Park," Wisden said. "We had a good time. I talked to Levy about UCF being in the tournament (in 2019) and that March Madness experience."
UCF's tournament team that year centered around 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall. While Wisden isn't quite that tall, he's hoping he can provide a similar dominating presence.
"I'm going to be a true big," Wisden said. "I'll be in the paint, doing a lot of pick and roll stuff. I can shoot a little bit. I know they definitely want to get the ball to me and grab boards. They want to feed me. I know they like my ability to extend out a little bit and shoot, and I have a soft touch. I can move pretty well. Not all bigs can move well for their size."
The biggest focus for Wisden is to become more physically prepared for high-level Division I basketball. He's in the latter stages of recovering from surgery to repair a partially torn patella tendon in his knee.
"I had surgery in February and I'm working to get that knee and quad strength back," Wisden said. "I've probably got another one to three months (before it's 100 percent). No rush. I'm getting better day by day."
Wisden knows he'll also benefit from UCF's nutrition and strength program.
"I'm sitting at 245 (pounds) right now, so I know I need to add more strength to be ready for the college level," he said. "For me, I'm always trying to improve every day. Get one percent better every day. You don't start off as a D1 athlete. You have to work towards your goals."
Wisden joins a 2022 recruiting class that also includes twins Taylor Hendricks and Tyler Hendricks.
"I can't wait to get there and start a new legacy," Wisden said. "I think we have something special. I'm extremely blessed to be in this position. I'm beyond excited."