Huskies Are Getting Big Scorer and Winner in Wesley Yates

Yates just concluded his high school career with a runner-up finish in the 6A state tournament, this after Beaumont United captured a pair of 5A championships before moving up to the highest level.

His Timberwolves (36-2) made it all the way to the title game again, only to lose to Lake Highlands from Dallas 55-44 in the Alamodome in San Antonio.

For the winners, Tre Johnson, a 6-foot-5 junior considering Kentucky, Baylor and Texas, scored 29 points and was named MVP while his team finished 34-3 with a 24-game winning streak.

Yates, in trying to penetrate a huge opposing front line, tossed in 21 points.

There was no reason at all for this future Husky to hang his head.

He finished with a 137-8 record at Beaumont United while scoring more than 2,000 points in his career.

With a well-rounded game, Yates finished at 19.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.6 steals per game as a senior. In his time at Beaumont United, he averaged 19.8, 19.7, 14.5 and 5.5 over four seasons on the varsity. 

He'll come to the UW as a prolific scorer with deep range, with the Huskies badly in need of an accurate 3-pointer shooter. 

Considered the nation's No. 48 player by ESPN, Yates chose the Huskies from a final nine that included Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Gonzaga, Houston, LSU, Stanford and Texas. 

His family connection notwithstanding to Pondexter, a former UW and NBA player, the school's other pros played a big part in getting him to consider coming to the Northwest.

"When I first thought about Washington, it was definitely Isaiah Thomas," he said. 

Yates will team with players such as Keyon Menifield and Koren Johnson, trying to become an unforgettable Husky, as well. 

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