Blake Wesley

Wesley was born March 16, 2003, in South Bend, Indiana. His father, Derrick Sr., was a two-time MVP for the Cardinals, finished his career as the school's third all-time leading scorer and was inducted into the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998. Blake played for James Whitcomb Riley High School in South Bend, Indiana. He took a jump during his junior year when he averaged 26.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. In his senior season, Wesley averaged 27.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game, leading Riley to a 19-7 record and the Class 4A sectional title. He was named to the Indiana All-Star team and ranked as the No. 82 prospect by ESPN.com. On Nov. 20, 2020, he committed to playing college basketball for Notre Dame, choosing the Fighting Irish over offers from Creighton, Kansas State, Louisville, Maryland, Purdue and Xavier. Wesley had an immediate impact during his freshman season at Notre Dame, averaging 14.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. He shined during March Madness, where he helped Notre Dame put away Alabama in the first round of the NCAA Tournament with 18 points, which included a personal 6-0 run in the second half. His transition steal and break-away dunk would put the Irish up double digits for good late in the contest. He was nominated to the 2022 All-ACC Second Team. Eventually, this led him to be selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the 25th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.