| 04 August 2010
The Nike Global Challenge features one confirmed participant from the Northwest, and Kyle Wiltjer - the Jesuit High (Portland) forward - is sure to have a dedicated following at the tournament, which begins Friday.
At 6-foot-9 and 225 pounds, Wiltjer is projected as a power forward at the collegiate level, but it's his soft touch and polished game that impresses scouts. Rivals ranks Wiltjer as the #4 power forward in his class, and the 22nd best player overall in the class of 2011.
Kyle's been supported by someone who has been down this road before: his father.
Greg Wiltjer – who was born in Whitehorse, Yukon - was a member of Canada's 1984 Olympic basketball team and - for one season in 1982 - the Oregon State Beavers. In Wiltjer's only season with the Beavers, he reached the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight on a team featuring A. C. Green and coached by Ralph Miller. Greg was later drafted in the second round of the 1984 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls, but never played a game in the NBA; the 6-foot-11 center played 12 seasons in Europe and one season in the CBA.
Now with Kyle remaining eligible for dual citizenship - with his family currently residing in West Linn, Ore. - he'll be a member of the Canadian team in Hillsboro this weekend.
Wiltjer is a member of the Drew Gooden Soldiers, the AAU under-17 team that recently won one of the most competitive summer AAU events in the country, the Fab 48 tournament in Las Vegas.
He also led Jesuit to a State championship this year, defeating Westview 66-44 in the Rose Garden on March 13 to take home the title. Wiltjer scored 19 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and blocked 7 shots in the final game of the season for Jesuit. The back-to-back Class 6A champions finished 26-2 on the season.
Trail Blazers fans might see similarities between Wiltjer and Blazers rookie Luke Babbitt, the forward taken 16th by the Minnesota Timberwolves and traded to Portland in a deal for Martell Webster last month. But Wiltjer is bigger than Babbitt, and he'll look to display his improved footwork and quickness on both ends of the floor.
According to Rivals, Wiltjer has received scholarship offers from major college programs across the country, including Kansas, Arizona, Georgia Tech, and California. Oregon and Oregon State have also reportedly extended offers to Wiltjer, so it's possible that the Jesuit prep star could be playing in the state for years to come.
First things first; Wiltjer has another Oregon crowd to impress: the fans and scouts in Hillsboro this weekend at the Nike Global Challenge.
photo: oregonlive
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