Yesterday we published a recruiting update.
Today, that update is slightly obsolete.
Mark Miller of Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook broke the news via Twitter that Neenah center Matt Heldt has verbally committed to Marquette University and new head coach Steve Wojciechowski. Heldt followed that tweet up with one of his own shortly thereafter.
Ecstatic to be committed to Marquette! Thanks to everyone who has helped me on my journey so far. #blessed
— Matt Heldt (@HeldtMatt) July 1, 2014
Heldt is listed at 6'10" by ESPN, 247 Sports, and Rivals, with only Rivals marking Heldt at 215 pounds and the other two showing him weighing 210. ESPN shows him as the 20th best center in the country and the fourth best player in Wisconsin, while 247 considers Heldt to be the 127th best player in the country, 13th best center, and fifth best overall player in the state. Rivals does not yet list rankings or ratings.
Those two in state rankings cast an interesting shadow on Heldt's commitment. The top two players on both ESPN and 247's Wisconsin rankings are Diamond Stone and Henry Ellenson, in that order. Stone is listed as a center and Ellenson is listed as a power forward, but both young men have a noticeable weight advantage on Heldt. They also both have a significant ranking advantage on Heldt. Stone is ranked eighth in the country by 247 and fourth by ESPN, while Ellenson pops up at 13 and 5 respectively. At worst, Wojo accepting a verbal commitment from Heldt is an insurance policy against not being able to land Stone or Ellenson. The best case scenario, of course, is that Wojo is able to secure the attendance of either Stone or Ellenson (or both???), and Heldt's addition to the roster provides Marquette with some sorely needed depth at the post position. Right now, Luke Fischer is the only player that anyone would feel comfortable with playing the post, so as far as I'm concerned, Wojo can go ahead and recruit all the 6'9" and up dudes he wants.
As much as Marquette desperately needs height and size on the roster going forward, Heldt might be able to provide MU with a bit of versatility as well. In the Division 1 state semifinals against Mukwonago, Heldt had 27 points, including a make on his only three point attempt of the night. We've already documented how Marquette needs to get much better at shooting three pointers in the future, and a 6'10" center who can step out and hit one now and then would go a long way towards helping that.
Heldt joins Sun Prairie's Nick Noskowiak in Marquette's 2015 recruiting class. With the departures of Marquette's four seniors in 2014-15 and the open scholarship that currently exists, that leaves Wojciechowski with three more slots to fill. Heldt and Noskowiak will be eligible to sign letters of intent this coming November.