On the heels of their most impressive win of the season, the Robert Morris basketball program will be hosting a talented senior this weekend.
2022 3-star point guard TJ Wainwright tells Pittsburgh Sports Now that he will make an official visit to Robert Morris. Wainwright will arrive in Pittsburgh today.
Wainwright, a 6-foot-3 point guard, plays for Montverde Academy’s Post-Grad Team. He is from Los Angeles, California, and since taking his talents to Montverde in Florida, he has seen his recruitment pick up steam. Wainwright received his offer from Robert Morris on January 13. Prior to that, he received offers from Bethune-Cookman, Morgan State, Grand Valley State, Loyola Marymount, Washington State, Pepperdine and UC Santa Barbara.
Pittsburgh Sports Now caught up with Wainwright prior to his flight from Florida to Pittsburgh.
“Coach Toole and Coach Iuzzolino took it upon themselves to really get to know me and it was a long process before I got the offer from them,” said Wainwright. “I talked to them for a while for I received it. Coach Iuzzolino came down for a practice and Coach Toole came down to a practice earlier this week. He thinks that I would be a great fit there and he loves my competitive spirt. With the way I can run a team, he believes that I would fit in with them very well. I really prefer the way Robert Morris has recruited me. Instead of a team offering me and not hearing from them much, despite not having an offer, I probably talk to Robert Morris 2-3 times a week. They really took it upon themselves to get to know me and they’ve talked to my parents too.”
While the Colonials staff got to know Wainwright, he says that during this time, he’s learned a lot of Robert Morris and in particular, head coach Andy Toole.
“Coach Toole is a very basketball-oriented guy. He came down to one of my practices and afterwards, basically told me everything that I was doing right and what I was doing wrong. I completely agreed with him and areas of my game that I need to work on and improve. Coach Toole really knows that he’s talking about and is a real basketball guy. The coaches have told me that the transfer portal hasn’t worked out well for them, so getting a guy like me that’s not in high school but a post-grad guy that’s seasoned and that’s comfortable running a team is what they need. With my style of play and the way I can run a team and get a bucket for myself when needed that I would fit in really well. He said they’ll be minutes for me to play right away.”
“To be honest, this official visit will be huge for me,” said Wainwright. “Because of COVID, I never got to make an official visit anywhere with the offers that I had. This official visit will give me a chance to see everything I need to see and know about the school. I’ll have all my questions to ask when I get there. I’ve never been to Pittsburgh before, so I don’t know what I’m getting into, but I’m really excited about getting there.”
