Woolridge thrilled with visit to Allen Fieldhouse

Royce Woolridge, who orally committed to Kansas University as a sophomore in high school, has never second-guessed his decision to become a Jayhawk.

After seeing Allen Fieldhouse full for the first time … it’s safe to say the 6-foot-3 Phoenix Sunnyslope High combo guard is even more enthused about what’s in store for him starting next school year at KU.

“It was great. I had an awesome time,” Woolridge said of his official visit to KU, which included a front row seat at the 25th-annual Late Night in the Phog.

He was in town on the same weekend as uncommitted Class of 2010 prospects Harrison Barnes, Doron Lamb and Josh Selby, plus Class of 2011 player Josiah Turner.

“Late Night was awesome,” said Woolridge, whose weekend host was junior Tyrel Reed. “The fans are crazy. It was so loud in there it’s ridiculous. I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

He enjoyed not only watching the Late Night scrimmage, but participating in a pick-up game with members of KU’s team on Friday.

“All of them were good. Thomas is a beast,” Woolridge said of freshman power forward Thomas Robinson. “Tyshawn (Taylor), Sherron (Collins), Xavier (Henry) … really all of them,” he added.

Woolridge — he received recruiting interest from Arizona, Arizona State, California, UCLA, Georgetown and others — was elated to take a tour of KU’s new facilities, including a brand new locker room, players’ lounge and practice facility.

“They were sick. The practice gym was amazing and the locker rooms are crazy too. The facilities are great. I can’t wait to get up there. I’m happy to be a Jayhawk,” Woolridge said.

KU’s fans are happy to have him aboard.

“Fans came up to me and said they are excited to see me play,” said Woolridge, who is ranked No. 117 nationally by Rivals.com. “It’s going to be fun to play at a school with such great fans. They showed at Late Night what it’s going to be like.”

A day later, he attended KU’s first official practice of the season.

Did the intensity scare him?

“Not really, I just have to brace myself, get ready for it,” he said.

Lamb, a 6-4 senior shooting guard from Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., also was awed by the full house.

“The highlight (of visit) was when I walked out with the others (recruits) and the crowd was cheering and gave us a standing ovation. I’ve never had anything like that happen to me,” Lamb said.

“It was a cool visit. I liked meeting the players, coaches and seeing the campus. Coach Self is cool. He’s real. He tells you the truth.”

Lamb — his weekend host was Tyshawn Taylor — enjoyed the 20-minute Late Night scrimmage. “It was really good. They scored a lot of points and didn’t turn it over much,” Lamb said.

Lamb, Rivals.com’s No. 21-rated player will visit Kentucky next weekend. Oklahoma and Arizona are also on his list.

Selby, a 6-2 senior combo guard from Lake Clifton High in Baltimore, who is rated No. 4 nationally, is also considering Baylor, Indiana, Kentucky, Miami and Syracuse.

“Josh was able to spend time with coach Bill Self during his visit and his host was Sherron Collins. What stood out most was the fan support and atmosphere. Josh really enjoyed the visit,” Selby’s mom, Maeshon Witherspoon told Rivals.com, noting they planned to make some additional campus visits.

Barnes, 6-8 senior from Ames (Iowa) High, is also considering North Carolina, Duke, UCLA, Oklahoma and Iowa State. The country’s No. 2-rated player told Rivals.com on Sunday he needed time to reflect on his visit before commenting on the trip.

Turner, a 6-3 junior from Sacramento (Calif.) High, also had “a great time” at KU.

“The applause the crowd gave us was wild,” said Turner, who is also considering Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Oregon, SMU, UCLA and Florida International. “It was just a crazy experience.”