Bassett

Bishop McCort’s Bo Bassett may be the most coveted wrestling recruit from central Pennsylvania in 20 years back when Juniata Valley’s Garrett Scott was the top prize in the sport.

When you hear someone like Bassett decommit from Iowa, your ears perk up.

It’s a wonder who will win the Bassett sweepstakes because it may turn out to be not just one recruit, but three.

It’s starting to seem like Bassett is becoming a package deal with his younger brother, Melvin Miller, who just so happens to be the No. 1 recruit for the class of 2027. He also took the Hawkeyes off his schools of interest. It may even be the same with youngest brother Keegan Bassett, who will be a sophomore at McCort next season. There are no rankings yet for the class of 2028, but it would be a good bet that Keegan will be on it.

Bo Bassett did not get to compete in the postseason as a freshman, but is now a two-time state champion and has yet to lose a match in his high school career. Miller has also been a PIAA champion twice, while Keegan Bassett went 43-7 and placed fourth at states for the Crushers this past season.

You could say that the dominance runs in the family.

While it will be a story when all three make their collegiate decisions, Bo’s choice could be an indicator of what’s coming in the future.

Bo’s decision is now down to Penn State, Oklahoma State and Nebraska. What if he chooses to stay close to home and go to the Nittany Lions? That would be a classic case of the rich getting richer.

It has to be an attractive option for him to be looking at Oklahoma State. Not only is former Nittany Lion great David Taylor building a powerhouse in Stillwater, but Taylor also landed Bo’s classmate, Jax Forrest. If Bassett ends up in Stillwater, you might as well call Oklahoma State ‘Bishop McCort West.’

Whatever decision Bo makes will probably be a lucrative one. Former MMA star and Oregon All-American Chael Sonnen recently revealed that he offered Bassett $1 million dollars to get into the NIL business with him. He said Bassett declined, but think about that. If a star like Sonnen is making that kind of offer to Bassett, there’s plenty more money to be made.

This is an area full of wrestling talent and it’s not uncommon to see a District 6 product on the podium at the NCAA Championships. It’s been a generation since District 6 had a star in the sport of this caliber.

Here’s hoping everyone is enjoying it, from Bassett himself to his family and friends, and wrestling fans in central Pennsylvania.

Whatever school Bassett chooses, as well as his brothers, is probably going to enjoy it too.

Andy Stine can be reached at astine@altoonamirror.com.