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WORDS. Alejandro Danois PHOTO. Nike Basketball
Wayne Selden
Wayne Selden, a 6-4 rising sophomore shooting guard at the Tilton School in New Hampshire, is accus- tomed to making an unforgettable initial impression. In the fall of 1994, he made his first appearance at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital as a gigantic, 11-pound, 4-ounce newborn.
"Two hours after he was born, Wayne was lifting his head up," says his mother, Lavette Pitts. "He was so big that the hospital didn't have any newborn diapers that could fit him."
After the Nike Elite 100 camp this June at St. Louis University, Selden's game was equally large; so immense that the Class of 2014 rankings may not be big enough to contain him as well.
"Coming out of the Elite 100, his athleticism, body and overall game really stood out," says Dave Telep, Senior Basketball Recruiting Analyst for ESPN.com. "Wayne showed that he's one of the best scorers in the country and a complete wing player. He gets buckets."
While some may think Selden's dominance is simply a byprod- uct of size and physical gifts, his mental comprehension of the game was at an advanced level before ever donning a uniform.
"When I was playing in adult leagues or his uncle or father were playing ball at the park, we took Wayne with us wherever we went," says his grandfather, Anthony Pitts Sr. "He'd be sitting there, watching and asking a lot of questions. Sometimes when I'd be refereeing, he'd criticize my calls, saying stuff like, 'I don't think that was a foul.'"
Suiting up for his first organized team as a fourth grader, Selden led his AAU squad to a third-place finish at Nationals that summer.
His 26-point freshman debut at Tilton – a boarding school 85 miles from his home in Boston's tough Roxbury neighborhood – again showed his penchant for eye-opening entrances.
In the New England Prep School AA state title game against a pow- erful St. Mark's School team featuring Duke-bound forward Alex Murphy and highly ranked 7-foot junior center Kaleb Tarczewski, Selden – whose Tilton teammates include forward Georges Niang and elite center recruit Nerlens Noel – punctuated his freshman campaign with 24 points in the 72-56 championship victory.
Late in the fourth quarter, with Tilton holding a tenuous lead, Niang lofted an alley-oop from midcourt toward a streaking Selden that seemed destined to soar into the stands.
"Wayne kept elevating and caught the ball with one hand," says
Pitts. "He was on the side of, and behind, the basket, gathered it and rammed it in one easy motion. It was an unbelievable dunk. You had to see it to appreciate it."
This summer, away from the spotlight of packed gymnasiums and elite AAU events, Selden continued his advanced hoops edu- cation. He worked out against pros and elite college players like Glen "Big Baby" Davis, Jeff Adrien, former Boston College standout and incoming Thunder rookie Reggie Jackson, and Harvard's Kyle Casey, all under the watchful eye of his mentor: Beantown prep legend, former Boston College player and a current Boston Amateur Basketball Club coach Steve Hailey.
"Wayne's a freakish athlete like I've never seen before at that age," says Jackson, a day after becoming Oklahoma City's first- round draft pick. "He plays hard but he's so smooth, he makes it look effortless. If he decides to continue to do whatever it takes to be the best, everyone will know who Wayne Selden is one day soon – and not just in college. I don't see why, in a few years, he can't be a top NBA draft pick."
"Wayne listens and he's locked in," adds Hailey. "He doesn't play like he's a young kid in awe going against college and pro players. Even though he'll only be a sophomore in high school next season, mentally, he understands that he can be one of the best players in the country, regardless of class."
During the Celtics' 2008 championship season, Selden accompa- nied the team to a road game against the Knicks after winning a shooting contest at the Garden. He flew on the chartered jet, stayed overnight at the team hotel, and hung out with team legends, cur- rent players and head coach Doc Rivers.
Upon landing back in Boston, while Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and the others playfully gave him dap before driving off in their luxury cars, Selden lingered, leaving his mom waiting in her car for close to an hour.
"I felt like I was part of the team," says Selden. "When we landed and everyone was going home, I felt like I just got cut and didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay for the rest of the season."
In a few more years, he just might get his wish.
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