In a pivotal play of his team’s 49-41 upset of Cedar Rapids Jefferson this season, Washington’s Wes Washpun rocked the home gym when he blocked a shot by Jefferson’s Jarrod Uthoff.

At 6-foot-8, the Wisconsin-bound superstar is not used to being embarrassed, especially at the long hands of an AAU summer league teammate who is easily more than a half-foot shorter.

But from his grade school days at Polk Elementary in Cedar Rapids, when he was on a kids squad with future all-staters Marcus Paige of Linn-Mar and Kasey Semler of Marion, Washpun has had springs in his skinny legs. He’s always jumped center, even now as the 6-foot-1 senior point guard for the Warriors.

There’s never been a question about his speed, either, or his deft ball-handling or his knack for stealing the ball. And since last season, Washpun has developed a better outside jumper.

“He’s a true Division I player,” Prairie coach and former Iowa Hawkeye star James Moses declared after Washpun ran all over his players this season.

In a 61-40 victory over Prairie, the flashy lefthander totaled 22 points along with seven rebounds, seven assists, seven deflections, five blocks and two steals. So, no, his court skills have been clear for years.

It’s been in the classroom where Washpun had been falling woefully short. While longtime buddies (including Washington running mate Josh Oglesby, who is headed to Iowa) have been courted by major colleges, Washpun had been pretty much shunned until recently.

Many say he’s as good as the others, but his grades scared most everyone away. Until this year, that is.

“He’s always had the ability to be a good student,” says his coach, Brad Metzger. “And he’s always been in a lot of activities, like class president when he was a sophomore, homecoming court and show choir.

“He has great leadership skills. Wes has a desire and drive to succeed in the game unlike any other kid I’ve ever had,” Metzger says.

“Now he’s figured out to be where he wants to be, he has to succeed in class, too. And he’s done it. He’s become a role model.”

For his part, Washpun admits that in the past he remained eligible for basketball just barely, skating by on C’s and D’s with a grade-point average of around 1.7. In the first trimester this fall, however, he recorded four A’s and a B, is taking some college prep advanced-placement classes and repeating courses in which he did poorly before.

“Things are falling into place, I’m getting my study habits down,” says the late bloomer. “I finally bought into it that my goal of going to college means I’ve got to get good grades.”

The turnaround, according to both player and coach, came about last summer when Washpun competed with Uthoff and other high school blue-chippers on the powerhouse Iowa Barnstormers AAU traveling team. His sparkling play in big-time national tournaments led to scholarship inquiries he couldn’t accept because of his anemic academic standing.

Metzger says Washpun came back for his senior season with newfound confidence and determination, both on and off the court.

“I have no doubt Wes is going to end up at a good school,” his coach says. “He competes so hard and wants to win so bad, he’ll make it. It’s a lesson I tell the kids: It’s not where you start out, but where you finish that counts.”