Why 6-10 basketball star Jake Wahlin flipped from BYU to Utah during his church mission to Lithuania

byDuc Manh •
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Jake Wahlin, shown playing for Timpview High School in 2021, has committed to join the Utah basketball program.

Timpview’s Jake Wahlin goes to the ring between Farmington’s Collin Chandler and Truman Hendry in a 5A boys basketball semifinal sport at Salt Lake Group Faculty in Taylorsville on Friday, March 5, 2021. Wahlin not too long ago returned from a church mission and introduced he's transferring from BYU to Utah.

Spenser Heaps, Deseret Information

Jake Wahlin was seemingly destined to be a BYU Cougar.

His father Rick performed soccer for BYU. His sister Malery, a former BYU volleyball participant, married former BYU receiver Colby Pearson. One other sister, Cassidy, married former BYU linebacker Harvey Langi.

“I believe I simply had a change of coronary heart on my mission, and simply kinda wished to open issues up so far as my recruitment goes. Numerous issues change over two years, so I simply wished to open issues up once more.” — new Utah basketball signee Jake Wahlin, a former BYU signee

So when the product of Provo’s Timpview Excessive grew to become one of many tallest kids in a neighborhood near campus, someplace within the 6-foot-8 vary, it was just about assumed that he would signal with BYU’s basketball workforce.

That he did, committing to Cougars’ coach Mark Pope in September 2020 and signing two months later, simply earlier than his senior season with the Thunderbirds.

However within the ultimate days of his two-year mission to Lithuania for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the now 6-10 Wahlin signed with not simply one other college, however the rival Utah Utes.

Whereas vacationing in St. George together with his household — which incorporates his former AAU touring circuit coach Tim Davis of the Utah Prospects, who's one other of his outstanding brothers-in-law and who has been understanding with him two or 3 times a day — Wahlin instructed the Deseret Information Tuesday why he flipped from blue to purple.

“I believe I simply had a change of coronary heart on my mission, and simply kinda wished to open issues up so far as my recruitment goes,” he mentioned. “Numerous issues change over two years, so I simply wished to open issues up once more.”

That opening didn’t final lengthy. Six days after Wahlin arrived house on Could 16, he introduced by way of social media that he had dedicated to the Utes, and hours later a faculty information launch confirmed the signing — which had really taken place on Could 8, when Wahlin was nonetheless overseas, in accordance with vanquishthefoe.com.

“Jake is an incredible competitor who comes from an awesome household and is simply scratching the floor of the participant he can turn into,” Utes coach Craig Smith mentioned. “Standing at 6-10, Jake brings talent and flexibility on the wing place that you simply simply don’t see at his dimension.

“I've little question that Jake might be a fan favourite among the many Runnin’ Ute devoted right here on the U. for the subsequent 4 years.”

Wahlin mentioned there wasn’t one particular purpose, or one particular second on his mission when he determined he wasn’t going again to BYU. Relatively, “it was only a gradual type of watching how issues have been going,” he mentioned.

“I simply ultimately determined to do it, which was very troublesome,” he mentioned. “However I did determine (throughout his mission) that I wished to search for a doable higher match, and I discovered it.”

Wahlin mentioned he “nonetheless has a number of respect for BYU and their program and coaches, however yeah, I'm fairly stoked to play for the U. and play for coach Smith. I really like Craig Smith, and Chris Burgess, in fact.”

Burgess, as has been well-documented, recruited Wahlin to BYU when he was an assistant there. He joined Smith’s employees a 12 months in the past, and since then has recruited former BYU guard Hunter Erickson from Salt Lake Group to Utah and now, Wahlin.

“Coach Burgess was a giant think about me going to BYU,” Wahlin mentioned. “I've an awesome relationship with him. Once I needed to open up my recruitment and determine what can be greatest for me, in fact I saved in thoughts him being up at Utah.”

However it's the head coach who in the end calls the photographs in making scholarship presents, and Wahlin says his familiarity with Smith dated again to the third-year Utes’ coach’s time at Utah State.

“To be trustworthy, Craig Smith and I already had a extremely, actually nice relationship from my highschool recruitment when he was at Utah State,” Wahlin mentioned. “I'd say he in all probability recruited me the toughest out of any head coach. Again then he instructed me, ‘I'm going to textual content you and name you each single day till you're an Aggie.’ In order that was laborious to say no to him and be true to BYU (again then).

“However I'm grateful now that it has labored out and I can play for (Smith), as a result of he actually believes in me and I really feel it in my coronary heart.”

Wahlin mentioned BYU coaches have been “cool about it” when he instructed them some time in the past that he was going elsewhere after his mission.

“It's laborious, as a result of as a missionary there may be a number of considering you do about what's greatest for you and your future, they usually have been nice. That they had respect,” he mentioned. “Yeah, all the pieces went nicely with that.”

Wahlin’s flip could possibly be greater than only one loss for BYU’s program. He and four-star BYU signee Collin Chandler, who has yet one more 12 months left on his mission (he’s been in Sierra Leone, Washington, D.C., and now London), are shut associates, and had talked pre-missions about being roommates at BYU.

May Chandler, the Farmington Excessive product who was the No. 28 prospect within the 2022 signing class, in accordance with ESPN, observe his buddy to Utah?

Wahlin didn’t need to speculate on that, however it's actually not a far-fetched state of affairs contemplating that Chandler was initially believed to be leaning towards Utah earlier than BYU grabbed him late — with appreciable recruiting performed by the since-departed Burgess.

As for Wahlin, he figures he grew 1 to 2 inches on his mission, confirming Smith’s announcement that he’s now 6-10 “with my footwear on” and has placed on about 20 kilos after being within the 195-pound vary when he left two years in the past.

Wahlin mentioned he performed fairly a little bit of basketball on his mission, and never simply on preparation day, which got here as soon as per week.

“Even throughout regular days in the course of the week, we had permission to attempt to contact and make new associates simply taking part in basketball in parks and at native universities,” he mentioned. “In order that was really a giant a part of my mission. I actually cherished that.”

Wahlin is the fifth newcomer to Utah’s roster, becoming a member of the aforementioned Erickson, who signed final November, and transfers Deivon Smith (Mississippi State/Georgia Tech), Cole Bajema (Washington) and Lawson Lovering (Colorado).

The Utes are scheduled to host BYU on Dec. 9, a sport that Wahlin says might be “vital,” for apparent causes.

“I hope there gained’t be … dangerous blood,” he mentioned. “That doesn’t imply I'm not going to have somewhat chip on my shoulder and additional need to beat them. In fact, that's going to be one of many greatest video games for me my first 12 months.

“It's apparent I come from a giant BYU household, however this was my choice and my household is supportive and they're all actually comfortable for me that I've discovered the place that I need to play and so proper now, yeah, so far as that particular sport goes, it's 100% we'll need to win that sport,” he continued.

“However that’s to not say I'm not rooting for (BYU) in different video games. I've associates on that workforce. However yeah, I'm all-in with the Utes now and I'm simply excited to lastly be a Runnin’ Ute.”

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