Prospect Update: Hayden Welling (2019)
After recently nabbing his first Division I offer, Corner Canyon’s 6-foot-9 stretch-forward Hayden Welling continues to establish himself as one of Utah’s best 2019s.
He’s been working this spring and summer to develop as more of a combo-forward, and has come to a point where he confidently can play on the perimeter and in the post.
“I worked on developing my mid-range game and a little bit my post game, and my 3-ball,” said Welling. “And since we last talked (last August), I think I improved in all three of those categories. And I think improving my range has helped me truly develop into a stretch-forward.”
Welling was playing with Mountain Stars 17U all offseason, that’s one of the best teams in the state.
“We put together a good summer, we only lost games in Vegas during the live periods,” said Welling. “We won some tournaments, and we just played some good basketball and did what we needed to in the tournaments.”
Earlier in the spring, Welling was on an unofficial visit at Cal Irvine. Eventually that program would grant him his first D1 offer.
“I think they just wanted to see me progress, and then I finally got the offer this July,” said Welling, who elaborated on his impressions of the school.
“It’s a great school, it’s really high academically, it’s a beautiful place to be, it’s in a nice part of California. The coaching staff was great with the kindness and the hospitality they showed me. I think it’d be a great fit, there’s a lot of upside to Irvine.”
Welling also says Utah Valley and Utah State have been talking to him a lot.
“I’m just going to keep developing and working to potentially get another offer,” said Welling.
He added: “I’m open to anything that comes my way. I’m happy with what’s going on right now. There’s a lot of great schools out there and I don’t necessarily have to stay inside of Utah.”