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| Kyle Wiltjer |
The 6-foot-10 senior forward from Jesuit and three other members of Kentucky's top-rated 2011 recruiting class will be on display Saturday night in the Nike Hoop Summit at the Rose Garden.
Forwards Anthony Davis and Michael Gilchrist and guard Marquis Teague will play for the 10-member USA Junior National Select Team, but Wiltjer will be on the other side, representing Canada on the World Select Team.
“It'll make me a little more competitive. I know I'll hear from them after the game,” said Wiltjer, voted the Class 6A player of the year after leading the Crusaders to an unprecedented third consecutive big-school title.
“I know them pretty well. We took our visits together, and that was like a four-day weekend. And we hung out at the McDonald's game and got to know them a little better.”
Wiltjer, Davis and Teague played on the West team against Gilchrist in the McDonald's High School All-American game last week in Chicago. Wiltjer, who scored 11 points in the game, said the experience motivated him to work on his weaknesses. The two-a-day practices with the World team this week have tested him, too.
“I think it's a higher level than McDonald's just because these guys work so hard,” said Wiltjer, the first player from Portland to play on the World team. “Their intensity level, they just push each other in practice. I think it's definitely the highest level I've ever played.”
Wiltjer has been busy since returning from spring break in Hawaii. He and his future teammates continue their all-star tour next week when they play in the Jordan Brand Classic April 16 in Charlotte.
The Nike Hoop Summit features many of the best 19-and-under players in the world. Last year, the starting lineup for the winning USA team included Jared Sullinger (Ohio State), Harrison Barnes (North Carolina), Kyrie Irving (Duke) and Brandon Knight (Kentucky). Jefferson graduate Terrence Jones, a freshman at Kentucky, also played in the game, scoring 15 points.
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