Charlotte shooting-guard phenom gets offer during Clemson visit

Photo courtesy Trey Wertz

by Tom Meares - Correspondent - Fri Jun 03 14:10:58 GMT-04:00 2016

Clemson this week became the first ACC program to extend an offer to 2018 basketball prospect Trey Wertz.

Wertz, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard out of Charlotte's Providence Day School, also has offers from La Salle, Rice and Richmond. UNC, Virginia, Wake Forest, Florida, Tennessee, Stanford, Charlotte and Davidson are also expressing interest, Wertz told TigerNet by phone Thursday.

In February, the 16-year-old Wertz helped lead Providence Day to a 30-3 record and an NCISAA Class 3A state title. In the championship game versus High Point Christian, Wertz racked up 25 points, with six rebounds and six assists. (He averaged 12 points, four rebounds and four assists during his sophomore campaign.)

Wertz visited the Clemson campus Wednesday, at which time the Tigers offered. He met for the first time with head coach Brad Brownell; previously, he had been in contact with assistant coach Steve Smith and Lucas McKay, director of operations. Both had traveled to Charlotte to watch Wertz in action.

The rising junior was able to watch team workouts Wednesday and tour the university campus.

“Coach Smith took me on a full campus tour,” Wertz said. “I really liked the school and facilities. I just kind of liked the atmosphere of the school. I actually didn't know it was a public school – I thought it was a private school because of how small it was.”

Wertz's highlight reel on YouTube is testament to his shooting prowess. As a sophomore, he shot 49 percent from 3-point range and 58 percent from the field. He was 75 percent from the free-throw line, which he characterized as a “down year” after previously shooting over 90 percent from the charity stripe.

His goal for the 2016-'17 season is for Providence Day to repeat as state champions. And, with three senior starters departing to play college hoops, he'll be assuming more of a leadership role for the Chargers.

At this early stage in the recruiting process – and with two seasons of high school basketball still to play – Wertz said he is no hurry to make a commitment.

“I'm just trying to take things step by step to make sure I make the right decision,” he said. “I don't want to be like – I saw this year there were like 700 college transfers, so I don't want to have those issues. I just want to take things step by step right now.”

Wertz said he enjoys the freedom that his coach, Brian Field, affords him at shooting guard, although he is equally adept in the point position. He said he's familiar with both Gabe DeVoe and Shelton Mitchell, Tiger guards who also hail from North Carolina.

During his visit, the Clemson staff told him they were most impressed by his “high basketball IQ,” he said.

“They like that I'm very skilled and can stretch the defense,” he said. “They think I could fit into their system perfectly.”

That IQ for the game is matched by an acumen for academics: Wertz just compiled a 3.7 GPA as a sophomore at Providence Day, improving on the 3.4 he posted as a freshman. He said while he's still mulling over possible college majors, he really enjoys math and hopes to earn a college degree that would pay dividends over time.

“I want a top-notch university where the degree means something when I graduate,” he said.