Vista Ridge’s Hunter Maldonado commits to Wyoming basketball
Hunter Maldonado, who recently finished his junior year at Vista Ridge, committed to play basketball at Wyoming on Monday night.
The 2017 grad announced his decision on Twitter:
Blessed and proud to announce that I have verbally committed to play Basketball at The University of Wyoming #gowyo pic.twitter.com/LHmQy5asf4
— Hunter Maldonado (@therealhunter24) June 7, 2016
Maldonado, a 6-foot-6 forward, led Vista Ridge in scoring as a junior with 22.6 points per game — which ranked fourth in all of Class 4A — and also topped the team with 6.9 rebounds per game. He had three double-doubles, two of which came as the Wolves made a run to the 4A Final 4.
Maldonado scored 29 points and had 11 rebounds in an upset of No. 1 seed Lewis-Palmer in the Great 8, then dropped 37 points (to go along with 12 rebounds) in a Final 4 loss to eventual champion Pueblo West.
After the season, he was named first-team all-state in 4A.
“Hunter is a great kid that is going to have an immediate impact on the Wyoming program,” Vista Ridge athletic director Sam Baldwin told CHSAANow.com via text message. “You couldn’t ask for a better teammate or student-athlete. Wyoming got a gem of a young man.”
As a sophomore, Maldonado averaged 18.0 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
Maldonado is the first boys basketball player in Colorado’s 2017 class to announce his college decision. He continues a recent trend of Colorado players heading to Wyoming’s basketball program.
The Cowboys will have four players from Colorado on their 2017-16 team, which includes 2016 ThunderRidge grad Austin Mueller.
