Although the thought of a “late bloomer” is typically subjective, there is always a storyline that goes with it. The stories are never scripted.
The late bloom can be tied to many factors. For the high school basketball prospect, it’s namely late maturation, both physically and as a player. It’s why the journey to playing Division I basketball isn’t always a straight line.
Kyle Waltz, who graduated from York this past May, is a prime example of a late bloomer.
Following a strong but under-the-radar senior year for the Dukes, Waltz extended his high school run by playing the spring with Breakaway on the travel circuit. He opened eyes and became a legitimate Division I prospect along the way.
After adding offers from the likes of Fordham, Western Michigan, Penn, Vermont and American along with more interest, Waltz pulled the trigger and committed to Miami-Ohio on Wednesday.
Waltz felt an immediate connection to Miami-Ohio as soon as he headed home from his June 20 visit. He liked the campus and the players he met. The academics were a fit. The distance would allow for his parents to watch him play. But there was the basketball side of Miami that stood out.
“Coach [Travis] Steele’s belief in me and his track record of player development, how good he can make me, is what was really appealing to me,” Waltz said. “I want to reach my full potential. Talking with him, along with the other coaches, I think they are the ones that can get me there.”
The arrow was always pointing up for Waltz, beginning with a junior season where he averaged nearly 10 points a game. Waltz then took a positive step that summer which is when he started to believe he was a Division I player.
But a finger injury last June –– Waltz tore the tendon in his right ring finger –– sidelined him for three months. The injury, he believes, lingered to the point where it impacted his senior season.
Waltz did put up 12 points and five rebounds a game while teaming up with star guard AJ Levine, who is headed to Penn, in helping York to a sectional championship and 26 wins. But he says he never did feel 100 percent locked in all season.
“I didn’t shoot the ball well, I felt off,” Waltz said of his senior campaign. “I never got into a rhythm shooting the basketball. I don’t know if it was the finger or not. There was some nagging stuff with it that I dealt with. I felt like I could have played better, but I still believed I could play Division I basketball.”
The interest and offers, however, were basically non-existent. He wasn’t concerned.
“I had the self-belief that it would still happen,” Waltz said of the Division I dream. “I was more frustrated with how I was playing than the college interest and stuff. It was frustrating knowing I could play better. But what was I going to do to get back to that level?”
Enter his spring with Breakaway, where he says “it all clicked and came together for him.” The late-blooming story of developmental ascension for Waltz began. His confidence level grew and he broke through while showcasing a sparkling, high-upside blend of size, skill and athleticism.
“I definitely played better, felt more confident this past spring,” Waltz said.
Waltz, an exciting talent with the ability to shoot the three effectively and as an above-the-rim finisher, was healthy and turning heads. He was a perimeter threat once again at 6-7 with a lot of bounce off the floor.
With a commitment to Miami-Ohio, Waltz’s developmental journey continues. He will reclassify and be a part of Steele’s Class of 2025 recruiting class after spending next year at SPIRE in Ohio, where he will train, play and develop as part of a post-graduate program.
“I think as a kid playing basketball, you always dream of being a Division I player, being a pro,” Waltz said. “Now it’s about getting better.”
