Winchendon Big Man Wide Open
John Hegarty, who had previously made a verbal commitment to the University of Rhode Island, is back on the board and said to be wide-open in the recruiting process. Hegarty first arrived at Winchendon in the fall of 2006, and after a year of working diligently to improve his conditioning; Head Coach Mike Byrnes said he expects Hegarty to see some minutes during the upcoming season.
Hegarty has played well this fall as he has been matched up against potential NBA lottery pick John Riek on a daily basis. When we visited the Massachusetts prep school earlier in the fall, Hegarty more then held his own against Riek, as his size and power were even too much for a fellow 7-footer to handle at times.
But the Rhode Island native has also expanded his skill set and now boasts a very impressive repertoire of offensive moves with his back to the basket. He also owns a soft set of hands and an excellent ability to finish strong inside the paint (as was evident when he shattered a backboard at session I of Eastern Invitational last summer).
If that weren’t enough Hegarty is the complete package off the floor as well. He is a good student who has already been cleared by the NCAA clearinghouse and was the favorite to be elected president of his class this year at Winchendon when we were last on campus.
Ultimately, Hegarty is a player whose mere presence will instantly impact games. Between that ability on the floor and his many accomplishments off the floor, he is likely to be a major recruiting target for a wide variety of schools.
John Hegarty