Prospect Spotlight: Jake Wahlin (2021)
With good size and an expanding skill-set, Timpview 6-foot-6 forward Jake Wahlin could become one of the state’s more sought-after prospects soon.
This past summer with one of the state’s best grassroots teams, Utah Prospects 15U, Wahlin worked to develop into a much more versatile threat.
“This summer, I started hitting a lot of shots around the perimeter and recently I’ve been getting better at driving and finishing with tough shots,” said Wahlin. “And I can also play in the post, that’s what I do for school ball, so I got a jump-hook and my footwork is getting a lot better.”
As a forward for Utah Prospects 15U, he played against some very good competition from around the nation. Wahlin says it was physicality and competing that he embraced the most.
“That was definitely fun and I learned so much from that. It helped me so much looking to the future,” said Wahlin. “I think we all got a little more physical and learned to play and step things up, and we had a little swagger.”
Last winter as a freshman, he played minimally with the Timpview varsity. His sophomore season, Wahlin says he’ll play both JV and varsity.
“We had about seven seniors and they’re all gone now, so this year I think I’ll play a lot. I’ll need to be physical, and defensively I’ll really need to put my body into people,” said Wahlin.
Still just a sophomore, Wahlin has a lot of time for the recruitment to come together. He says next summer could be when recruitment starts to spike.
“I think this last summer we had a lot of exposure for our (Utah Prospects) team. Our last game in Vegas at the Fab 48 we had Utah and BYU there. Those are two very high schools that I’d love to play at,” said Wahlin.
“I’d love to start talking to college coaches next year, and I think we’ll get a lot of exposure next summer.”