Meet the Freshmen: Santa Clara’s Evan Wardlow

After winning the College Basketball Invitation Tournament and losing three 1000 point scorers to graduation afterward, the Santa Clara Broncos have been in rebuilding mode.

Although Santa Clara finished towards the bottom of the conference standings with a disappointing 6-12 record last season, the Broncos showed promise for future years, particularly with the player of some of their young players and competitive games with the top tier teams in the conference.

After the 2014 recruiting class makes its mark, combined with some of the stars of the 2013 class like Jared Brownridge, Santa Clara rebuilding process will be finished. The 2014 class features several intriguing prospects who have the ability to come in immediately and make an impact. Arguably the cornerstone of this recruiting class is Evan Wardlow, a 6-foot-4 guard from El Camino Real High School in Southern Calfornia.

Wardlow is advertised as an elite defender, who can lock up the other team’s best player with little trouble. While his offensive game is somewhat limited, he has the tools to score and contribute at the Division I level while making a huge impact on the defensive end.

Courtesy of Evan Wardlow.

At El Camino Real

It’s hard to find anything about Wardlow’s high school career on the internet, but by the looks of it, Wardlow and his teammates were committed to winning above anything else.

In his sophomore season, Wardlow and El Camino Real won the LA City Division II Championship, and moved up to Division I following the win. El Camino advanced all the way the the City Division I Championship game as junior. Wardlow and El Camino Real advanced past another proverbial hurdle this past season, winning the Division I city championship with a 58-56 win over Westchester.

Wardlow and two of his teammates – Julian Richardson and Maleke Haynes – led their team to three straight City Championship games and helped El Camino Real’s basketball program elevate to new heights.

Impact at Santa Clara

Wardlow is a defensive stopper, and he will do plenty of that for Kerry Keating in the Broncos. AFter playing in one of the most competitive regions in the country for high school basketball, Wardlow knows what it takes to shut down top talent.

In his freshman season, he should be a nice change of pace from Jared Brownridge and Brandon Clark, who are high volume scorers for the team. Wardlow will be committed to taking smart shots and playing good defense, which should earn him playing time right away for the Broncos.

Home/Santa Clara