Wolfenbarger’s way
FS Northside standout forgoes hoopla while signing with UA.
There was hardly any fanfare when Jersey Wolfenbarger signed her national letter of intent Wednesday morning to play basketball at the University of Arkansas.
The 6-5 Wolfenbarger, who ESPN ranks the No. 1 wing and the No. 7 overall prospect in 2021, quietly filled out her necessary paperwork inside Fort Smith Northside Coach Rickey Smith’s office after a workout, then took care of the rest of her day. The only people present were her parents, Northside’s coaching staff and a couple of school administrators.
It’s just the way she wanted it to happen.
“I’m just a low-key person in general,” Wolfenbarger said. “While I do appreciate the support of the school and having the teachers and classmates there for me signing, I also appreciate the fact that this was very intimate.
“I got to do something very special with the people closest to me during my journey. I thought that’s what made me more excited about the process of my future.”
Wolfenbarger averaged 18.8 points per game, 6.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists last year while leading the Lady Bears to a 26-4 overall record and a 14-0 mark through 6A-Central Conference play. She finished in double-digit scoring in 26 of Northside’s 30 games, with a season-high of 33 against Greenwood.
While there were a number of colleges that sought to have Wolfenbarger join their team, she had whittled her top two choices down to Arkansas and Oregon. She made her oral commitment
to Razorbacks Coach Mike Neighbors in late April.
“My thoughts and my confidence in my decision never wavered,” Wolfenbarger said. “The passion the players show for the game, for each other and for the coaches, and the coaches showing that passion back — it just drew me in to the program.
“There was just something about Arkansas that made me feel like I kept getting better every time I was around the staff and around the players. Hearing their thoughts and learning from them drew me in even more.
“There was also the role proximity had to play. My grandma, my aunt and my family can come down and watch me play. That played a big role when I thought it wouldn’t.”
After discussions with Neighbors, Wolfenbarger said she is concentrating on becoming a “positionless player” that will fit nicely in Arkansas’ scheme. She sees herself playing a similar role as current All-SEC Razorback Chelsea Dungee.
“Our games are very similar,” Wolfenbarger said of Dungee. “We like to face up rather than play with our backs to the basket, and both of us are pretty explosive off that first step.”
ROGERS A MOUNTAINEER
Little Rock Christian girls Coach Ronald Rogers has had an opportunity to coach daughters Desiree and Destinee at the high school level, but he admitted he wasn’t sure if he’d get a chance to do the same with his latest basketball-playing daughter Wynter.
He got that shot, and it’s paid dividends in more ways than one.
“I’ve grown so much as a player, not just in skills but also mentally,” said Wynter Rogers, who’s signing with West Virginia University. “I feel like I’ve gotten more mentally tough over the years, learning how to face and handle adversity. A lot of things can go your way in games, but not everything is going to go your way in practice.
“So that’s definitely helped me grow in that aspect.”
Rogers, a 6-0 forward, averaged 19 points and 10 rebounds per game last season for the Lady Warriors and was an All-Arkansas Preps second-teamer – a year after averaging 16 points and 8 rebounds while being named the MVP in the Class 5A state title game.
According to her father, there was a time when he didn’t envision Wynter as a dominant player.
“In the early years, I did not think she was going to be a basketball player,” he said. “She decided in probably about the sixth grade to take it serious. Just knowing where she comes from and the work that she’s put in, she just worked her tail off. I mean, she really worked at it, and it’s certainly paid off.”
Wynter Rogers was a child when her two older siblings won state championships at Strong and Camden Fairview, the latter of which occurred in 2008 when their dad served as head coach. Eleven years later, she was able to do duplicate the feat with a title of her own as a sophomore and has been ascending as a player ever since.
The senior held offers from a number of schools, including Oklahoma State, Tulsa, Texas Tech and Arkansas State University before committing to the Mountaineers in May. Rogers revealed that West Virginia didn’t have to do much to draw her in – she was sold after a few conversations with Mountaineers Coach Mike Carey and associate coach Bett Shelby
“Just the first time I talked to them, it felt like I’d been talking to them for years,” she said. “It just felt like they were already family, even over the phone. The way they talked about player development, the way they run their system and program. … it’s kind of like how my dad runs it over here.”
MORE SIGNINGS
Batesville girls senior guard Izzy Higginbottom and Marianna boys senior forward Terran Williams both signed with NCAA Division I schools on Wednesday.
Higginbottom was selected to the All-Arkansas Preps first team last season and committed to the University of Missouri in May after receiving offers from schools such as Oklahoma, Arkansas State and Murray State. The 5-8 guard, who’s ranked as the No. 20 point guard for the Class of 2021 by ESPN, was named the MVP of the 2019 Class 4A state tournament after leading the Lady Pioneers to the title.
Williams, a 6-5 combo guard from Marianna, made it official by inking with Louisiana Tech.
The senior held scholarship offers from TCU, Oklahoma State and Auburn among others but committed to the Bulldogs in September. Williams garnered All-Arkansas honors last season after guiding the Trojans to a 29-5 record and a berth in the Class 2A state semifinals.