ORLANDO, Fla. — Shaun Wiseman had minimal expectations for sophomore Luguentz Dort heading into Dort’s sophomore campaign at Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, FL),
Through the training process and through rigorous practices, Wiseman immediately noted a hungry kid who was capable of a multi-faceted scoring role. Unassuming and workmanlike, the Canadian found his way to the starting lineup and as a hard-driving and electrifying Class of 2018 6-foot-4 guard.
This summer, he opened up a dependable 18-20 foot jumper and extended it beyond the confines of the arc. The rapid transformation has made Dort, now at the Conrad School (Orlando, FL) under Wiseman, one of the most highly sought after uncommitted guards in the country.
Florida, Oregon, Oklahoma, Arizona State, Louisville, Missouri and most recently Baylor have been in consistent pursuit of Dort, a versatile threat with a high-engine and innate nose for finding the open man. Louisville, Florida, Oregon, Missouri and Baylor are among the offers Dort holds, Wiseman said.
“I spoke with Florida and Baylor last week and Lu’s just got an array of schools involved in the whole process,” said Wiseman, who plans to revive the program with a star-spangled backcourt as well as a formidable frontline. “There’s Oregon. There’s Louisville in there as well.”
Would it be fair to anoint Florida as the front runner? Will the Gators make the most aggressive push for the new-look program’s focal point?
“We want Florida in our gym,” Wiseman said. “They’re an in-state school, a very reputable program. They are definitely welcome here anytime.
Wiseman nurtured bigs such as 7-foot-3 Chol Mariel and 6-foot-9 Koch Bar during his stay at West Oaks and Arlington Country Day, respectively. Thus, filling the interior void with several high-major and surefire Division-I recruits wasn’t much of a daunting process.
“We’ve got a 7-footer coming in, we’ve got a couple of 6-foot-9, 6-foot-10 kids coming in to bolster our frontline,” Wiseman said. “Ultimately, the onus is on Dort to lead the team on both sides of the ball and register his presence as a leader. As he matures with this year, we want to see him pay attention to both sides of the floor a little bit more, especially on the defensive end. Also, as it comes with maturity, we want to get him into being a leader this year.”
