Prospect Spotlight: Wendell Tomlin (2022)
It’s always interesting to see how young players respond when they’re thrown in the fire, and for a young Benedictine team that went through some ups and downs last year, they did find a bright spot in the play of freshman wing Wendell Tomlin. The 6’6” long wing showed poise, talent and upside last year as his minutes increased throughout the season, and so did his production.
Moving forward is where Tomlin looks really good, as he still has to fill out but he’s advanced on the wing for his size and age. He shoots the basketball well, he’s able to attack closeouts and use his length to finish at the rim and play multiple positions defensively. This summer, he’s worked on many different things, but working with his team to get more experience has been one of the main things.
“This summer is going good, just been doing a lot of training, trying to get better for next season,” he said. “We’re getting closer as a team and learning how to play with each other and stuff like that.”
The bonding showed at University of Richmond Team Camp where the young Cadets were one of the top teams in attendance after one of their least successful seasons in recent memory last season. However, the bright spot for Benedictine is that they were also one of the youngest and most inexperienced teams at the start of last season, and with hard working young guys like Tomlin they’ve continued to improve.
Tomlin has also spent time this summer playing with a talented VA Havoc group that includes fellow teammates and sophomore stud Jaden Daughtry. The versatile 6’6” forward is able to do a lot of things at his age other kids aren’t able to do. When asked to describe his game he did so the same way I would.
“I’m lengthy, I’m a tall lanky guy who can dribble and shoot, stuff like that,” he said. “I know I need to get bigger and stronger and work on attacking the hoop and finishing strong.”
Everything for Tomlin is about looking forward and preparing for next season. He has a lot of tools and a good motor and attitude, and his coaches rave about his work ethic. When asked about his goals for this summer and next season, it was all about improvement and grinding so they can have a better season this year.
“I’m just trying to get better this summer. Next year I’m trying to make the playoffs, maybe go to states, be a leader and one of the go-to guys.”
A team that’s full of young pieces that need to just continue to improve, be sure to keep an eye out for the Cadets and Tomlin this upcoming season. He’s projecting as a division one prospect, and you won’t want to wait until he’s already blown up to jump on the bandwagon.