Wisconsin extends scholarship offer to J.P. Tokoto
posted by Mark Miller at 4/22/2009
By Mark Miller Wishoops.net Editor J.P. Tokoto became one of the youngest players ever to receive a scholarship offer from the University of Wisconsin Wednesday afternoon.
The multi-skilled and ultra-athletic 6-foot-5 wing player recently completed his freshman season at Menomonee Falls and is now playing on the grassroots scene for the Wisconsin Playground Warriors.
Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan and assistant Greg Gard attended an open gym workout session that featured Tokoto Wednesday at Menomonee Falls.
Ryan and Gard later met with Menomonee Falls coach Ben Siebert and Playground Warriors coach Ritchie Davis. Ryan informed Siebert a scholarship offer was on the table for Tokoto, who thus became the first player from the class of 2012 to earn an offer from Wisconsin, a perennial contender in the Big Ten Conference.
“The scholarship offer from coach Ryan and the University of Wisconsin is a great honor for J.P. and his parents as well as coach Siebert and the Menomonee Falls program,” Davis said. “I believe it is the first of many more to come. We are very blessed to have him in our basketball family.”
Ranked No. 2 among state prospects in the class of 2012 by Wishoops.net, Tokoto averaged a team-high 12.6 points per game as a freshman for a vastly improved Menomonee Falls squad that went 15-9 and lost to Germantown in the WIAA Division 1 sectional finals.
A second-team all-league selection in the Greater Metro Conference, Tokoto is an outstanding rebounder and shot blocker in addition to his ability to score around the basket or on mid-range jump shots.
“Throughout the season, J.P. showed a maturity and poise that is rarely seen in someone his age,” Siebert said. “We put him in many different situations this season and he always rose to the challenge.
“J.P showed a lot of improvement as the season progressed. The obvious strengths of his game, scoring and rebounding, are what most people noticed. But I believe the most impressive improvement came in his understanding of how he could help the team, based on who we were playing and what we needed. He is very unselfish and motivated by team success.”
Tokoto played well last weekend as a member of the Playground Warriors 15U squad that won the consolation championship in the prestigious Real Deal In the Rock Tournament in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Word is quickly getting out about the potential of Tokoto, who figures to improve with additional weight and strength over the next three years of competing at the high school level.
In addition to Wisconsin, Tokoto is receiving strong recruiting interest from a number of other high major programs, including but not limited to Arizona State, Boston College, Iowa, Marquette, Minnesota, Oregon State, Tennessee and UCLA.
Wisconsin, though, is the first to offer a scholarship to Tokoto, who maintains a 3.5 grade-point average.
“J.P. has been our 15U team leader this spring and has continued to flourish in that role as we move throughout the season,” Davis said. “Our team has won 12 out of 14 games thus far in Knoxville and Little Rock, and there are many instances where J.P. has simply willed our team to victory.
“J.P. earned the respect of his teammates, both older and the same age, by coming into practices during March and working as hard as everyone else while also being a willing learner. J.P. realizes that he is blessed with unique athletic ability, but he also doesn't just want to be an athlete. He truly wants to become a complete basketball player and therefore is placing a huge emphasis on finding ways to improve in some key areas. He has added a ball handling set to his individual workout. He has been working out with Kameron Cerroni as well, spending a great deal of time working on his shot while also learning the value of outworking others behind the walls when no one is there to watch.
“I have never had a player with J.P.’s combination of work ethic and a constant desire to be the very best player possible. There is rarely a chance you would ever catch J.P. slacking off during individual workouts and drills in practice. He always wants to improve and never lets up, no matter the situation.”
Comments 3
On
4/22/2009 7:38:11 PM
packerbacker76 wrote:
Congrats to J.P., I have also heard he has been a beast on the travel team circuit so far. Anyone know who is the starting point guard on that 15U team?
On
4/22/2009 8:04:15 PM
warhawks13 wrote:
This kids seems to have everything going for him... from grades to ball. I can't wait to watch him play next year for the Falls.
On
4/23/2009 3:05:19 PM
YoungEze42 wrote:
Congrats to my guy J.P ive been playin ball with him at the y since he was in da 6th grade
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