Prospect Spotlight: Braeden Wiltse (2020)

Israel Potoczny

May 29, 2019 @ 12:00 PM

A long, rangy wing player who has a nice touch in the lane and a smooth outside shooting stroke, Mill Valley rising senior Braeden Wiltse is putting together a strong offseason running with MoKan 2020 as he gears up for the 2019-20 season. At 6’2, Wiltse likes to take advantage of opportunities in transition, is a fundamentally sound player who uses his height and length to his advantage and can finish around the basket against smaller players. At the defensive end, he can guard multiple positions and uses his length to challenge shots. He has put together a strong offseason running with MoKan 2020 and says playing with and against other talented players has helped his game grow. “I am surrounded by other great players and coaches who all want each other to succeed and push one another to help each other get to the next level,” he says. “Playing with this team has helped me prepare for next years high school season because we’re able to go and play great great competition which has helped me develop physically playing against bigger and faster players. I’m also able to compete against my teammates at every practice. “Each player brings their own specialized skill set which allows each practice to bring a new challenge and allows us to compete against each other. The coaches are some of the best. They truly about the players well being and want them all to be successful no matter what they are doing.” Wiltse says he has spent much of the offseason focused on improving his outside jumper and 3-point shot a d expanding his range. “I also worked on tightening up my handles and improving my defense to become an even better two way player,” he says. Wiltse was a newcomer to Mill Valley after moving from Nebraska last summer and joined a brand new starting line-up at the school. “This past high school season we had limited varsity minutes returning,” he says. “While we only won a few games this last season, we are returning now experienced young players and I believe we have a lot of promise and potential for next year’s high school season. I am excited to help lead the team to success.” Wiltse says his biggest influence in his basketball career to date was a former coach, Mike Mackie. “Coach Mackie is one of the best coaches in the nation and does an amazing job coaching the Team Factory AAU program back in Omaha,” Wiltse says. “He coached me up until last year and I wouldn’t be where I am today without him. His passion for the game really motivated me to work harder every day and achieve my goals. He always believed in me as a player and as a person. To say he was a big part of my basketball career would be an understatement.” A fan of several two-way players, Wiltse says he enjoys watching players who play defense as well as offense, including Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. “Both are tenacious on the defensive end and are also very efficient on the offensive end as well,” he says. “Their energy on defense is some of the best and the way they’re able to effect the game in ways other than offense is what I take away from their game the most.” Wiltse says he has heard from several colleges and received several invitations to elite camps, including Columbia University, University of Chicago, Augustana University, Southwest Baptist University, Nebraska Wesleyan University, York College, Midland University, and Concordia University.