Wenyen Gabriel: The Slim Reaper
*UPDATE! Wenyen Gabriel trims his list to 5: Maryland, UConn, Duke, Providence & Kentucky*
“Who is Wenyen Gabriel”? “Where did he come from, and how did he get to where he is today”? If you ask Wenyen he’ll tell you, “My work ethic! While they’re sleeping I’m working”. The rest of the answers to those questions will be found right here in this article.
Wenyen Gabriel is from South Sudan, Africa which is home to over 11 Million people. Many may not know this, but he is from the same tribe as that of Thon and Matur Maker. The 3 of them managed to escape a civil war torn area and make their way to the United States. This is where the 3 of them began their journey to becoming some of the nations top players, and where Wenyen Gabriel would become known as, “The Slim Reaper”.
Wenyen Gabriel is probably a name you’ve been hearing A LOT of lately, and for good reason…hmmm this statement sounds rather familiar.
Wenyen has been on an absolute tear since the Adidas Uprising Summer Championships, where he picked up offers from the blue bloods of Duke, UNC, Kentucky, and Kansas. Wenyen is a very versatile player who can attack you from the wing, in the paint, and can find the open player when necessary. I watched Gabriel go up against Team Loaded North Carolina’s big man (Edrice “Bam” Adebayo—who is currently ranked as the #8 player in the class of 2016 by ESPN—and he most certainly showed why he deserved to be praised along with the other top talent in the country. Wenyen led the troops with 20 points, 7 rebs (5 offensive), 2 blocks and 4 steals. He showed off his face up game as he shot 3-4 from beyond the arc, and his versatile ability to attack the basket and finish at the rim as he shot 6-9 from the floor—with a couple monster dunks. Gabriel has only continued to showcase his talents as he put up 26 points, 23 rebs (12 offensive), 3 assists and 1 block on 11 of 22 shooting vs Team Wall at the Adidas Global Nations event in California.
I had a chance to catch up with Wenyen after the games for an interview and here’s how it went:
State your name for the record.
Wenyen Gabriel, class of 2016 6-foot-10 195 lbs. [reported to have a 7’1 wingspan]
What do you think you brought to the team in this win?
I brought a lot of energy to the team today, and obviously I hit some good shots today. Being able to bother Dennis Smith’s shots [helped and] I got a couple of blocks down there; just being able to help protect the rim. [Also] being able to have our teammates trust that if they get up on their man, that they’ll have help.
What do you think the strengths of your game are as you [continue to] move forward?
Probably just my versatility for my size, I mean I’m 6’10. I can get by a lot of defenders that are bigger than me, and I can shoot so they’re going to have to get up on me, so I become a tough matchup for a lot of people. Small guards I can post-up, but they haven’t been guarding me lately.
Moving forward, what do you think you need to work on or improve on the most?
I definitely need to get stronger, and I need to work on my ball handling a lot so that I’ll be able to handle pressure more. In the Summer I’ll be working out lifting weights and working on ball-handling every day.
I noticed that there were a lot of people [coaches] out here looking at you, so who do you have interest in? Any [new] offers?
I mean it’s been a lot of new schools. The schools who’ve recruited me the hardest, started off with Uconn, Maryland, [and] Virginia kind of backed off now, Texas, Notre Dame, Duke has been recruiting me I think they’re going to offer me soon, Kentucky just offered me last night, and Kansas has been recruiting me.
[Do] You have any timetable on when you’re going to make a decision or take any visits?
I don’t know, I mean I was hoping to take my visits in the fall.
Is there anything about you that you want people to know? What makes you different than other players?
“Uhhhh… I don’t know. [Cory Laughs and screams in a high pitched voice, “What do you mean you don’t know?” and they both laugh together.]
What makes you better than the next player?
“My work ethic! While they’re sleeping I’m working.
Wenyen is very a humble and very well-spoken young man. Wenyen will do whatever it takes on both sides of the ball in order to help his team win. Even if that means throwing down a monstrous slam, yelling out as if to say, “get off me”, and swinging his arms across his chest in order to ignite the fire in his teammates. I’d like to think that Uconn had a good shot, but I think the offers from Duke, UNC, Kansas, and Kentucky may have completely changed the game; only time will tell.
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