Kaleb Wesson
Kaleb Wesson (born July 27, 1999) is an American college basketball player for the Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten Conference.
Wesson in March 2020 | |
No. 34 – Ohio State Buckeyes | |
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Position | Center |
League | Big Ten Conference |
Personal information | |
Born | Westerville, Ohio | July 27, 1999
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
Listed weight | 270 lb (122 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Westerville South (Westerville, Ohio) |
College | Ohio State (2017–present) |
Career highlights and awards | |
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High school career
Wesson is the son of Keith Wesson, who played at Ohio State from 1983 to 1987. Kaleb attended Westerville South High School and played alongside older brother Andre. Kaleb became a starter as a sophomore on the state runner-up team. He had seven points and four rebounds as the Wildcats beat Lima Senior High School 57–55 to claim the state title. Wesson scored a school-record 49 points in a 68–67 loss to Upper Arlington High School on January 24, 2017. As a senior, Wesson averaged 22.4 points and 10.9 rebounds per game and shot 67 percent from the floor on a team that finished 19–6. He was named Ohio Mr. Basketball.[1]
Recruiting
Wesson was a four-star recruit, rated as the No. 75 overall player and No. 6 center in his class, and committed to Ohio State.[2]
Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
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Kaleb Wesson C |
Westerville, OH | Westerville (OH) | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 290 lb (130 kg) | Jul 3, 2015 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 87 247Sports: 97 ESPN: 72 | ||||||
Sources:
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College career
After arriving at Ohio State, Wesson worked to get in better shape, losing weight by cutting out soda and juice.[2] He averaged 10.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game on 56 percent shooting as a freshman.[3] He was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team.[4] Wesson had a career-high 31 points in a 75–56 win against Youngstown State on December 18, 2018.[5] On March 1, 2019, Wesson was suspended for violating athletic department policy.[6] He missed three games and returned in time for a Big Ten Tournament matchup with Indiana, finishing with 17 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals in the 79–75 victory.[7] Wesson was an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection.[8] As a sophomore, Wesson averaged 14.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, shooting 50 percent from the floor and 34 percent from three-point range. After the season, he declared for the 2019 NBA draft but ultimately opted to return to Ohio State.[9]
Wesson worked on his conditioning coming into his junior year by boxing with strength and conditioning coach Quadrian Banks.[3] He was ranked the sixth best player in college basketball by ESPN in October 2019.[10] After scoring 10 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in a 76–51 victory over Villanova, Wesson was named Big Ten player of the week on November 18.[11] He had 28 points and 10 rebounds in a 106–74 rout of Penn State, helping the Buckeyes notch 100 points against a Big Ten rival for the first time since 1991.[12] At the close of the regular season, Wesson was named to the Second Team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media.[13] As a junior, Wesson averaged 14.0 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, shooting 42.5% from beyond the arc.[14] Following the season, he declared for the 2020 NBA draft.[15]
Career statistics
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017–18 | Ohio State | 33 | 30 | 20.7 | .562 | .286 | .721 | 4.9 | 1.1 | .5 | .6 | 10.2 |
2018–19 | Ohio State | 32 | 31 | 25.9 | .500 | .347 | .734 | 6.9 | 1.8 | 1.0 | .7 | 14.6 |
2019–20 | Ohio State | 31 | 31 | 29.5 | .444 | .425 | .731 | 9.3 | 1.9 | .7 | 1.0 | 14.0 |
Career | 96 | 92 | 25.3 | .495 | .385 | .729 | 7.0 | 1.6 | .8 | .8 | 12.9 |
References
- "Westerville South's Kaleb Wesson named AP Mr. Basketball; Jackson's Kyle Young second in voting". Akron Beacon Journal. Associated Press. March 27, 2017. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- Means, Stephen (October 17, 2019). "How a change in lifestyle helped Ohio State basketball's Kaleb Wesson keep his weight off for good". Cleveland Plain Dealer. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- McCurdy, Rob (September 27, 2019). "Ohio State Buckeyes getting new look center with Kaleb Wesson in basketball". The Marion Star. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- "View the 2017-18 All-Big Ten Men's Basketball Team". Big Ten Network. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- "No. 15 Buckeyes overcome slow start, rout Youngstown State". ESPN. Associated Press. December 18, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- Abdeldaiem, Alaa (March 1, 2019). "Ohio State Suspends Kaleb Wesson for Violation of Athletics Department Policy". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- Ryan, Shannon (March 14, 2019). "Ohio State looks more like an NCAA Tournament team with Kaleb Wesson's return". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- "Big Ten Unveils Men's Basketball Postseason Honors on BTN". BigTen.org. March 11, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- Phillips, Scott (May 28, 2018). "Kaleb Wesson returning to Ohio State after testing NBA draft waters". NBC Sports. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- Gasaway, John (October 29, 2019). "Top 25 players for the 2019-20 college basketball season". ESPN. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- Murphy, Patrick (November 18, 2019). "Kaleb Wesson named Big Ten Player of the Week". 247 Sports. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- "Wesson, No. 6 Ohio State unload on Penn State 106–74". ESPN. Associated Press. December 7, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
- "Big Ten Unveils Men's Basketball Postseason Honors on BTN" (Press release). Big Ten Conference. March 9, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
- Harrison, Phil (March 9, 2020). "Ohio State big man Kaleb Wesson named second team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media". Buckeyes Wire. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
- "Ohio State's Kaleb Wesson entering NBA draft". ESPN. April 2, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2020.