The Valparaiso University men’s basketball program and head coach Roger Powell Jr. have finalized the signing of Sherman Weatherspoon IV, a 6-foot-3 point guard from Bowie, Md.

After starting his prep career at DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Weatherspoon played his senior year at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School before spending the 2022-23 season at Golden State Prep in Napa Valley.

“The coaching staff,” Weatherspoon said when asked about the biggest factor in selecting Valpo. “This is one of the best coaching staffs in terms of resume and winning desire. I also enjoyed my teammates when I met them on my visit. The campus was beautiful and everyone was very nice when I walked around campus. The opportunity for a great education was also important to me.”

Weatherspoon’s father, Sherman III, is a Northwest Indiana native and Gary Roosevelt product. Weatherspoon visits his grandmother once a year and will now have the opportunity to play in front of his father’s friends and family after playing close to his mother’s family for most of his life.

“We are very excited to add Sherman to our basketball family,” Powell said. “He adds a combination of size and scoring to our backcourt along with the ability to shoot the ball. Sherman is a gym rat and a great competitor. He is a high character person and will add to the culture we want to create in our program.”

Signing with Valpo is a big moment for Weatherspoon, whose journey to get to this point included injury-related adversity.

“I started off at DeMatha, which is a great program under Mike Jones,” Weatherspoon said. “The basketball was at a college level. I was injured and missed my junior year, which was a major setback for me. I didn’t play that year and transferred my senior year, when I had a great season at BCC. It was a comeback story. I had another amazing season at prep school, when I averaged 25 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Valparaiso gave me the opportunity to play, and I’m really blessed for that.”

Weatherspoon listed a game on the AAU circuit in Atlanta when he was playing 15U as a memory from his basketball career that stands out. He single-handedly ran off 21 points in a row, showing a scoring ability that is just one element of the player that Valpo fans will soon witness.

“They’re getting a ‘dog,’” Weatherspoon said. “I play both ends of the court. I take pride in defense. I don’t like when people don’t play defense. Shooting is my greatest strength. I like making the winning plays and always trying to uplift my teammates and make my teammates better. I want to play basketball the right way.”

Weatherspoon plans to study sport management at Valpo and hopes to use his degree to stay around the game of basketball for a long time. In his free time, he enjoys going on walks and is fond of nature and hiking. He also enjoys clothes.

“My recruitment at Valpo started with Coach (Pat) Baldwin,” Weatherspoon said. “They really liked my game and said it stood out among everyone they were recruiting at the time. They want my scoring ability to impact our team right away. Hearing about the background of where the coaches played really impressed me. Coach Powell has won a lot of championships and that was amazing to me. It lets me know that he’s all about winning because he’s won before. A coach that is willing to do it all to win is the best to play for because he’s going to bring out the best in you, no question.”