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By Joe West
PUTNAM — Putnam Science Academy’s 6-foot, 7-inch center Wilson Arob is not going to be playing in the NBA some day, but the chance of reaching his goal of D1 college basketball continues to look better and better every day.
The 245-pound “man in the middle” isn’t the most athletic player on the court, but he continues to get in shape and improve his skill work around the basket. Arob’s soft shooting touch from 15 feet has opposing coaches having nightmares.
Putnam Science Academy (7-2) is off to a great first half of the season and Arob is one of the main reasons. His size in the middle of the zone on the defense is what coach Tom Espinosa has been looking for since 2008, when 7-0 Rundell Mauge roamed the middle. Mauge now plays at Division 1 Pacific University in Stockton, Calif.
Coach Espinosa has watched Arob make strides from week to week and has recently become a top 25 player in Connecticut, according to The New England Recruiting Report.
“It’s been fun to watch Wilson get better each day,” said Espinosa.
“When he arrived to campus in September, Arob had a lot of conditioning to do” Espinosa said. ”But his time in the weight room and court have made him a much stronger player on the post and much more skilled with the basketball. Arob has tapped into his potential, but still has a lot of work ahead of him.”
“Arob has so many opportunities and people will look at him just because of his size. He’s going to have some rough days … but good things happen to good people,” he added.