Klesmit Picks Wofford
Max Klesmit had no idea he’d be committing going into the first official visit of his recruitment. In fact, Wofford hadn’t even extended a scholarship offer to Klesmit prior to him stepping on campus.
However for Klesmit and the Terriers, the stars aligned as the Neenah star opted to shut down his recruitment earlier this week and play for head coach Jay McAuley.
“It was tough to have that idea (of committing), because it was our first time going out there,” Klesmit told Prep Hoops Wisconsin. “Once we got to campus, spent some time with the coaches and the guys, I got the right feeling that it was the place for me.”
“The coaching staff and the players are all very high character guys,” he continued. “These are guys you can have a relationship with on and off the court. I felt that I would get better all four years that I’m there. They have a great coaching staff.
“I got the feeling that this was going to be the best fit for me.”
Klesmit chose Wofford over North Dakota, UW-Milwaukee, and UW-Green Bay. He also received Division 2 offers from the likes of Rockhurst, Winona State, St. Cloud State, Northern Michigan, and Hillsdale.
The Terries only began getting involved with Klesmit in July, according to the senior guard, but made a strong push over the next several weeks and wowed Klesmit during his official visit.
“The campus is really nice,” he said. “Pretty much the only building they have is two years old. There’s been a lot of money put into the program, so everything is really new.”
Considered a solid Division 2 prospect prior to his junior season, Klesmit has grinded his way to the Division 1 level. Last season, Klesmit led the Rockets to a surprise Division 1 state tournament berth, while averaging 24.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game.
“I put in a lot of work to get to the top level I thought I could play at,” he said. “Division 2 schools are awesome, but I just kept working and more Division 1 programs thought I had the opportunity to play at their schools.”
Klesmit is the first known commitment for Wofford in their 2020 recruiting class. The Terriers are coming off a magical 30-5 season, earning a 7-seed in the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
“With the guards they’ve had, they saw me fitting into the role — I don’t want to say Fletcher McGee, but the way I play, how I’m a combo guard that can shoot it, and I can go off the bounce or move without the ball — they can use all of that,” Klesmit explained. “Once I played with their guys during the visit, they could see that this was really going to work.”
Poised to reach the top 12 of Wisconsin’s class of 2020 rankings, which will be revealed later this month, Klesmit has been on quite the rise since the last month of his junior season.
“It’s been surreal,” said Klesmit. “My family and I really appreciate everyone that was along for the journey that really helped us along the way. If I could go back, I would do it all the same. I don’t have any regrets.
“These last six months have probably been the best of my life.”