Washington County '26 SF Gabe Weis grew up a Kentucky fan, hoping to hear more from UK
Washington County sophomore Gabe Weis posted 10 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and three blocks on Wednesday afternoon. It was the Commanders’ first game of the White, Greer & Maggard Holiday Classic tournament at Lexington Catholic High School. Washington County, ranked No. 17 in the state, started slow but came alive in the second half to walk away with a 58-47 victory, securing a spot in Thursday’s second round. Weis played all 32 minutes.
“I just feel like in the beginning, we came out super flat,” Weis told KSR after the win. “We just weren’t playing hard and we started to become more disciplined towards the end of the first quarter and start of the second quarter. We just turned up our intensity and came out with a bigger lead and got the dub.”
You might have heard of Weis before now. The 6-foot-7 sophomore out of Springfield, KY — not too far from Lexington — is quickly making a name for himself in the recruiting world. He’s a long wing who is still growing into his body. Weis has a soft touch around the rim, an instinctual passing ability, and can hold his own against smaller guards on defense. There’s a reason he’s being heavily recruited by several Power 5 schools.
The likes of LSU, Illinois, Cincinnati, Iowa, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Penn State, Louisville, and West Virginia have already reached out with scholarships. Indiana is another school in the mix, one that Weis says is “very, very interested in me”. He plans to visit the Hoosiers at the beginning of January and could possibly take a visit to Tennessee later that same month.
Kentucky, Weis’ favorite team growing up, has yet to extend him an offer, but communication is heating up. Weis is hoping his relationship with UK only continues to grow.
“Coach (Orlando Antigua) is the one who’s been recruiting me,” Weis said. “I’ve went up for two visits. Our assistant, he talks to Coach O a lot. I’ve talked to him a few times over the phone. It’s been good to get that relationship going and hopefully it can develop a little bit faster here.”
Weis visited UK during Big Blue Madness and also stopped by for a recent practice. He added that he “loves” Kentucky head coach John Calipari, but the Wildcats are far from the clear-cut favorite.
“It’s been pretty cool,” Weis said about being recruited by Kentucky. “I think it’s more my hometown than me that’s more excited but it’s just been a pretty cool experience to go through. My recruitment is open though. My recruitment is open.”
Through Washington County’s first eight games of the 2023-24 season, Weis leads his squad in scoring at 16.1 points per outing. He hauls in 8.6 rebounds per game as well while shooting 56.2 percent overall from the field. After a solid showing on Wednesday, Weis and Washington County will look to stay alive with a second-round matchup against No. 10 DeSales on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. EST.
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