The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

A RECRUITING story that has spanned several years and took some unlikely turns along the path appears to be back on track for one blue chip basketball prospect.

Wannah Bail is one of the final players in the class of 2013 who remain unsigned as he seeks a transfer, but that may change in short order after visits to several elite programmes.

Bail will officially visit PAC 12 schools UCLA and USC this week and will follow with a visit to ACC upstart Miami next week.

At 6’8” 210 pounds, the versatile Bail was one of the top frontcourt prospects out of the state of Texas for the class of 2012 and eventually decided on Texas Tech, but has yet to suit up for an NCAA contest.

Bail was one of 15 players or staff members to leave the Red Raiders programme under controversial head coach Billy Gillispie. He left the programme following the first summer school session, just before the start of fall practice and spent the past season at a prep school in the Canary Islands, virtually non-existent on the recruiting trail until just recently.

A return to Texas Tech was rumoured with the departure of Gillespie and Bail’s relationship with interim coach Chris Walker. However, Walker was not granted the permanent tag and the Red Raiders decided to hire Tubby Smith as the new head coach.

According to Jim Hicks of Rcssports.com, Bail was cleared by the NCAA in April and was granted a release by the Red Raiders shortly after.

Hicks tweeted Bail “could instantly become the hottest 2013 prospect in the country (not named Wiggins).”

Bail had been a blue chip prospect on the high school basketball scene in Houston, Texas, for the past few years since he joined the Frank Rutherford Elite Development Programme. He selected to stay “in state” after being suited by recruiters nationwide and sought after by a virtual who’s who list of NCAA programmes. He received offers from Houston, Arkansas, Auburn, FSU, Texas, Baylor and Kansas.

He was ranked 89 out of a possible 100 points by ESPN.com, 35th among players at the position and 22nd overall in the state of Texas.

Bail left the Bahamas and attended a number of schools in the Houston area, ultimately landing at Lamar Consolidated in Rosenburg, Texas.

He attended Trent Internationale School but had to transfer to Fort Bend in Austin, Texas, at the start of his senior season where he was ruled ineligible to compete in the Houston area and settled on Lamar.

He played on the AAU circuit for the Franchize All-Stars and was a member of the Bahamas’ 2011 FIBA Americas U-16 Championship team where he averaged 17.4 points and 14.2 rebounds per game.