Anthony Mack knew he was going to make his college choice this afternoon and told some of the coaches recruiting him as much last night. He gave the coaches from the University of Wyoming a little clue to his thinking on the way off the phone.
“I gave them a hint last night and told them I would talk to them tomorrow,” Mack said on Wednesday.
Sure enough, Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. Mountain time, Mack placed a call to Laramie and the Wyoming coaching staff, which, Mack says, was excited.
“It sounded like a party on the other end,” Mack laughed. “That is what it sounded like.”
Mack is a 6-foot-5, 215-pound shooting guard and Las Vegas native who spent the last year at prestigious Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey. A three-star prospect according to Rivals.com, Mack averaged 11 points, six rebounds, and five assists last season for a Blair Academy team that went to the state finals in 2015.
Mack holds better than 30 scholarship offers from schools around the country including Missouri, Memphis, and Saint Louis. Mack visited Laramie in August and the visit, along with the relationship he built with new Wyoming Head Coach Allen Edwards cemented the commitment.
“It was a surprise to a lot pf people,” Mack said of his commitment to Wyoming. “But they were there from the beginning. They showed everything. They could do no more than they did and Coach Edwards did. There were bigger schools who offered, Villanova, St. Louis, and others, but I just fell in love with Wyoming and the coaching staff.
“(Coach Edwards) is an open minded coach. He is honest. He is more about the person. He is a great person, a great guy, and someone I can sit down and talk to about anything. You can have a conversation with him. Every time I talked to him he asked how I was doing and how my family was doing and then we talked basketball. He wanted to know about me the person first.”
Mack comes from a prep school where he is one of four senior starters to commit to play college basketball at a high level. His roommate, Deng Gak, is a top-50 player in the nation who is committed to Miami. Post Zack Kent is committed to play in Knoxville for the Tennessee Volunteers, and Matt Turner, another guard, spurred offers from Big East and ACC schools to play for UC-Santa Clara.
“Practice is crazy,” Mack said. “It is awesome. We have juniors and sophomores who will also be playing at a very high level. That is why I came here to get that competition level in practice and get better each day.”
This summer Mack played with the South Jersey Jazz on the AAU circuit, under former NBA sharpshooter Tim Legler. Mack said that was just part of his summer workload.
“I worked out two times a day,” Mack said. “I was running hills, lifting, conditioning, ladder drills, defensive slides. I always had someone with me from Blair by my side. I am really thankful for the offers and the people who have helped me through the process and the hard work paid off.”
As for his message to Wyoming fans, Mack said he will do whatever it takes to win.
“I am a winner,” he said “I make winning plays. I’ll do anything there it takes to win. If that means dunking on someone, or shooting a three, or making an extra pass. My game is very diverse. I can dribble, shoot, and I am big enough to guard bigger guys. You are getting a little of everything.”
https://wyoming.rivals.com/news/three-star-shooting-guard-commits-to-edwards-wyoming
“I gave them a hint last night and told them I would talk to them tomorrow,” Mack said on Wednesday.
Sure enough, Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. Mountain time, Mack placed a call to Laramie and the Wyoming coaching staff, which, Mack says, was excited.
“It sounded like a party on the other end,” Mack laughed. “That is what it sounded like.”
Mack is a 6-foot-5, 215-pound shooting guard and Las Vegas native who spent the last year at prestigious Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey. A three-star prospect according to Rivals.com, Mack averaged 11 points, six rebounds, and five assists last season for a Blair Academy team that went to the state finals in 2015.
Mack holds better than 30 scholarship offers from schools around the country including Missouri, Memphis, and Saint Louis. Mack visited Laramie in August and the visit, along with the relationship he built with new Wyoming Head Coach Allen Edwards cemented the commitment.
“It was a surprise to a lot pf people,” Mack said of his commitment to Wyoming. “But they were there from the beginning. They showed everything. They could do no more than they did and Coach Edwards did. There were bigger schools who offered, Villanova, St. Louis, and others, but I just fell in love with Wyoming and the coaching staff.
“(Coach Edwards) is an open minded coach. He is honest. He is more about the person. He is a great person, a great guy, and someone I can sit down and talk to about anything. You can have a conversation with him. Every time I talked to him he asked how I was doing and how my family was doing and then we talked basketball. He wanted to know about me the person first.”
Mack comes from a prep school where he is one of four senior starters to commit to play college basketball at a high level. His roommate, Deng Gak, is a top-50 player in the nation who is committed to Miami. Post Zack Kent is committed to play in Knoxville for the Tennessee Volunteers, and Matt Turner, another guard, spurred offers from Big East and ACC schools to play for UC-Santa Clara.
“Practice is crazy,” Mack said. “It is awesome. We have juniors and sophomores who will also be playing at a very high level. That is why I came here to get that competition level in practice and get better each day.”
This summer Mack played with the South Jersey Jazz on the AAU circuit, under former NBA sharpshooter Tim Legler. Mack said that was just part of his summer workload.
“I worked out two times a day,” Mack said. “I was running hills, lifting, conditioning, ladder drills, defensive slides. I always had someone with me from Blair by my side. I am really thankful for the offers and the people who have helped me through the process and the hard work paid off.”
As for his message to Wyoming fans, Mack said he will do whatever it takes to win.
“I am a winner,” he said “I make winning plays. I’ll do anything there it takes to win. If that means dunking on someone, or shooting a three, or making an extra pass. My game is very diverse. I can dribble, shoot, and I am big enough to guard bigger guys. You are getting a little of everything.”
https://wyoming.rivals.com/news/three-star-shooting-guard-commits-to-edwards-wyoming
