Hidden Gem Found in Texas
Everything about E'Torrion Wilridge's recruitment seemed to be under the
radar. From how he flew under the radar of college coaches due to a knee injury
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last season to the timing of his commitment to Georgia, which came right in the
middle of Georgia's 34-0 rout of Missouri in football. The Texas native seemed
to find a way to stay out of the spotlight one way or another.
Georgia coach Mark Fox is hoping Wilridge's play when he gets to Athens is
anything but quiet.
"E'Torrion is a forward who can play both forward spots, is very long and
athletic and another guy who has a bright future," Fox said after receiving
Wilridge's letter of intent on Wednesday morning, the first day of the early
signing period for college basketball prospects.
Wilridge's peers out in Texas respect his game. Four-star junior point guard J.J.
Caldwell told UGASports last month that he thinks Georgia is getting a terrific
player.
"He's the real deal. He's long, pretty athletic, can shoot the ball, and he can
get to the basket. He's been good for a long time. The only thing that set him
back a little bit was him getting injured earlier this year, but he's the real
deal. He's good now. We were at the Super 16 event earlier this month where the
best teams in Houston play and his team was there. I watched him play. He looks
really good. He's back to normal to me."
The injury Caldwell speaks of was an MCL injury that occurred during the
semifinals of the state tournament at the end of last season. Prior to that
injury, Wilridge had a number of high-major programs knocking on his door and
trying to secure his commitment. Wilridge tried to come back from his injury
during the July recruiting periods, didn't play well, and saw his stock plummet.
Georgia's coaching staff decided to stick with him through his injury and that's
a big part of the reason he decided to commit to Georgia last month.
"I committed to Georgia because of Coach [Jonas] Hayes," Wilridge told UGASports
after his commitment. "He was one of the first coaches to start recruiting me a
couple summers ago. When I got injured this past season, he didn't stop
recruiting me. He stayed with me throughout. That's one of the reasons I
committed there."
Before his injury, Wilridge was considered a four-star prospect by Rivals.com
and had a spot inside the 2015 Rivals150, but now finds himself outside the
rankings with a three-star rating. If he makes it back to full strength, which
by all accounts he has, Georgia may haven stolen a diamond out of the Lone Star state. A
6-foot-7, Wilridge is a versatile player that can help the Bulldogs in a variety
of ways. He's a pretty consistent shooter out to three-point range and can
handle the ball.