Chris Wroblewski Explained

Chris Wroblewski
Height Ft:6
Height In:0
Weight Lb:180
College:Cornell (2008–2012)
Draft Year:2012
Career Position:Point guard
Highlights:As player:

Christopher William Wroblewski (born 1989/1990) is an American former college basketball player. He played college basketball for Cornell of the Ivy League, where he is the school's all-time career assists (482) leader and the school's only two-time Academic All-America basketball selection. He was the starting point guard for the winningest team (29 wins) in Ivy League history: the 2009–10 Big Red. He earned Ivy League accolades all four seasons: Ivy League Rookie of the Year (2009), All-Ivy Honorable Mention (2010), All-Ivy Second-Team (2011), and All-Ivy First-Team (2012).

Before college, he played at Highland Park High School, where he set the record for all-time career 3-point shots made (211). He led Highland Park to its first back-to-back 20-win seasons. He received no college scholarship offers in high school.

Early life

Wroblewski is the younger of two sons born to Peter and Valerie Wroblewski.[1] As a freshman, Wroblewski helped a foul-plagued Highland Park team survive to a second overtime in the 2005 Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Class AA regional semifinal.[2]

As a sophomore for a seniorless 2005–06 Highland Park team,[3] he posted 28 points in a 60–58 overtime victory over Mount Carmel High School.[4] The team fell in the 2006 IHSA Class AA regional semifinal.[3]

Prior to his junior season, the Chicago Sun-Times named him as one of the top 5 players to watch in the Central Suburban North League.[5] The 2007 team survived to the 2007 IHSA Class AA sectional semifinals, finishing with a 23–6 record.[6]

Prior to his senior season, the Chicago Tribune listed Wroblewski as one of the top 25 players in the area.[7] In December 2007, he committed to Cornell.[8] By mid-December he had become Highland Park's all-time leading three-point shooter.[9] On December 14, 2007, he scored 38 points in a 60–59 overtime victory that ended Glenbrook North High School's 46-game home winning streak.[10] He was the Central Suburban League North's Player of the Year and an Illinois Basketball Coaches Association all-state selection.[11] [12] The 2008 Highland Park senior class was the first in school history to have back-to-back 20-win seasons.[13] During his high school career, Wroblewski got no NCAA Division I scholarship offers.[14]

College career

Freshman season

Wroblewski earned 2008–09 Ivy League Rookie of the Year recognition.[15] He was twice named Ivy League Rookie of the Week (January 19 and March 9).[1] [16] Wroblewski led the Ivy League in three-point field goal percentage during the Ivy League schedule (min. 18 made, 22–42=52.4%).

Sophomore season

Wroblewski had 20+-point efforts against high majors for the Big Red: 22 against and 20 against Syracuse.[17] [18] Later, in the season he helped keep number-one ranked Kansas on the verge of defeat at Allen Fieldhouse until they took the lead with 41 seconds remaining and held on.[19] [14] The team eventually became the 2009–10 Ivy League champions (the schools 4th, 3rd consecutive and most recent Ivy League Championship)[20] and reached the Sweet Sixteen round of the 2010 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.[21] [22] [23] They were the first Ivy League team to reach the Sweet Sixteen since the 1978–79 Penn Quakers and set an Ivy League record with 29 wins.[24] In the victory over Wisconsin that sent them to the Sweet Sixteen, Wroblewski scored 12 points.[25] Wroblewski, who started 33 of the 34 games, is one of six players on the team to set the Ivy League single-season record for games played (34).[26] He led the team in three-point field goal percentage (min 100 att, 54/119=45.4%) and FT% (min 50 att, 55/63=87.3%). He earned 2009–10 All-Ivy League honorable mention recognition.[27] Wroblewski was a 2010 District 1 First-Team Academic All-District Men's Basketball Team selection, making him 1 of the 40 finalists for the 15-man Academic All-American team.[28]

Junior season

Following the 29-win season the year before, 8 seniors graduated and head coach Steve Donahue left to coach in the Atlantic Coast Conference.[29] Wroblewski was named one of three co-captains.[30] On January 3, 2011, he earned Ivy League Player of the Week for his performances in the Richmond Marriott Holidays on the Hardwood Tournament at VCU against New Hampshire and Wofford. Against Wofford, he posted 12 assists, which is the second-highest single-game total in school history.[31] [32] [33] The performance, which included 21 points and set a Cornell record for most single-game assists off the bench, became his first career double-double.[34] On January 8, 2011, Wroblewski had a career-high 29 points against Stony Brook.[35] [36] That season, he led the Ivy League in steals per game (1.5).[37] He led the team in points (369, 14.2), 3pt% (min 100 att, 52/120=43.3%), FT% (min 50 att, 97/118=82.2%), assists (149, 5.7 avg.), steals (40, 1.5 avg.), and minutes (851, 32.7 avg).[34] Wroblewski earned Second-Team 2010–11 All-Ivy League recognition.[38] Wroblewski was named a 2011 Academic All-America third team selection by CoSIDA and ESPN The Magazine.[39] He was the fourth Big Red basketball player to be named Academic All-American.[40]

Senior season

Wroblewski served as a senior co-captain.[41] In his 104th career game, Wroblewski established a Cornell record for the slowest achievement of 1000 career points scored.[34] In a February 10, 2012, overtime win against Yale, Wroblewski nearly became the first Big Red basketball player to record a triple-double when he posted 18 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds.[1] [42] The 10 assists established a Cornell record for single-game assists without a turnover.[34] On February 13, he earned Ivy League Player of the Week recognition for a week that included 18 assists and 1 turnover.[43] His third and final career double-double occurred on February 24, when he scored 24 points and posted a career-high 11 rebounds against .[44] [34] On March 2, 2012, Wroblewski became the all-time assist leader at Cornell during a victory against .[45] [46] He led the team in points (323, 11.5 per game), FT percentage (84.6%), assists (147, 5.3 per game), steals (45, 1.6 per game), and minutes (944, 33.7 per game).[34] He earned First-Team 2011–12 All-Ivy League recognition.[47] Wroblewski was named a 2012 Academic All-America third team selection by CoSIDA and Capital One.[48] He is Cornell's first 2-time basketball Academic All-American.[49] [50] Wroblewski studied Applied Economics and Management in Cornell's Dyson School.[51]

Professional career

In August 2015, Wroblewski and Highland Park classmate Josh Bartelstein hosted a two-day basketball skills development camp in the North Shore for youth between 3rd and 12th grade. At the time, Wroblewski was a 7th and 8th-grade basketball coach in Highland Park.[52] In 2016, he teamed up with Highland Park teammate Zack Meuser to run a similar camp.[53] In 2019, Wroblewski was living in Chicago with his wife, Brittany, and working at an investment management firm when they decided to try their hands as entrepreneurs.[54]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2011–12 Men's Basketball Roster: Wroblewski, Chris. May 26, 2023. Cornellbigred.com. Cornell Big Red.
  2. Web site: Cats win double-OT thriller: [Lake Edition]]. subscription. . May 27, 2023. March 3, 2005. Daily Herald. Solomon, Irv. 9.
  3. Web site: Buffalo Grove storms back from big deficit: [Cook,Lake Edition]]. subscription. . May 26, 2023. March 1, 2006. Daily Herald. Eaken, Michael. 8.
  4. Web site: Elgin nets victory over Auburn: [C1,F1,F2,McHenry Edition]]. subscription. . May 26, 2023. December 24, 2005. Daily Herald. 8.
  5. Web site: Boys basketball conference capsules: (Part 1). subscription. May 28, 2023. November 21, 2006. Chicago Sun-Times. 88.
  6. Web site: Boys Class AA Sectional Semifinals Roundup.: [Chicago Final Edition]]. subscription. . May 27, 2023. March 7, 2007. Chicago Tribune. 8.
  7. Web site: Family reunion awaits; Kelly set to sign with DePaul, return to his Chicago roots: [Chicago Edition]]. subscription. . May 27, 2023. November 14, 2007. Chicago Tribune. Ryan, Shannon. 6.
  8. Web site: Around the Rim: IC's Burton dodges major injury in scary collision. subscription. . May 27, 2023. December 12, 2007. The Ithaca Journal. Delaney, Brian. B.5.
  9. Web site: Unbeatens' stars suddenly on the radar; T.F. South was 1–24 last season, now worth a look. subscription. . May 29, 2023. December 14, 2007. Chicago Sun-Times. Bell, Taylor. 63.
  10. Web site: Pingatore joins 800 club – Milestone victory 'a testament to the program,' says legendary St. Joseph coach. subscription. May 27, 2023. December 15, 2007. Chicago Sun-Times. Powers, Scott. 48.
  11. Web site: HP's Wroblewski: Player of the Year. subscription. May 27, 2023. March 27, 2008. Antioch Review.
  12. Web site: Antioch's White: Prep Athlete of the Year. subscription. May 28, 2023. December 18, 2008. Lake Zurich Courier.
  13. Web site: Senior-heavy Highland Park reflects on back-to-back 20-win seasons. subscription. . May 28, 2023. March 12, 2015. Chicago Tribune. Brief, Sam. 14.
  14. Web site: Measuring up to big boys. May 26, 2023. January 18, 2010. Chicago Tribune. Helfgot, Mike.
  15. Web site: Orange takes notice of Cornell's Chris Wroblewski. May 26, 2023. November 25, 2009. Syracuse.com. Waters, Mike.
  16. Web site: 2018–19 Ivy League Men's Basketball Media Guide. May 29, 2023. 2018. Ivy League.
  17. Web site: Seton Hall 89, Cornell 79. May 26, 2023. November 20, 2009. Associated Press. ESPN.
  18. Web site: Freshman Triche has season-high 21 in Syracuse's victory. May 26, 2023. November 24, 2009. Associated Press. ESPN.
  19. Web site: Collins scores 33 as Jayhawks get by scrappy Big Red. https://web.archive.org/web/20230526113446/https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap/_/gameId/300062305. dead. May 26, 2023. May 26, 2023. January 6, 2010. Associated Press. ESPN.
  20. Web site: Public invited to men's basketball team 'Selection Sunday'. May 26, 2023. March 10, 2010. Cornell Chronicle.
  21. Web site: Cornell Rolls to Upset Temple. May 26, 2023. March 19, 2010. The New York Times. Glier, Ray.
  22. Web site: Cornell pulls off another upset, knocking out No. 4 Wisconsin. https://web.archive.org/web/20230526123108/https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap/_/gameId/300800275. dead. May 26, 2023. May 26, 2023. March 22, 2010. Associated Press. ESPN.
  23. Web site: Kentucky ends Cornell's run in NCAA tournament. May 26, 2023. March 26, 2010. Ju, Anne. Cornell Chronicle.
  24. Web site: Cornell Downs Fourth-Seeded Wisconsin to Advance to Sweet 16. May 28, 2023. June 9, 2010. The Cornell Daily Sun.
  25. Web site: Cornell pulls off another upset, knocking out No. 4 Wisconsin. https://web.archive.org/web/20230526123108/https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap/_/gameId/300800275. dead. May 26, 2023. May 29, 2023. March 22, 2010. Associated Press. ESPN.
  26. Web site: 2013–14 Ivy League Basketball. May 28, 2023. 2013. Ivy League.
  27. Web site: Cornell's Ryan Wittman is Ivy League Player of the Year. May 28, 2023. March 10, 2010. The Post-Standard. Cannerelli, Stephen D..
  28. Web site: 2010 Academic All-District Men's Basketball Team. May 8, 2023. February 4, 2010. ESPN The Magazine. July 8, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110708194227/http://www.cosida.com/documents/2010/2/4/m-basket-district.pdf. live.
  29. Web site: Wroblewski ends career as Big Red assists leader. May 28, 2023. March 7, 2012. Ithaca.com. Lawrence, Steve.
  30. Web site: Chris Wroblewski: The Catalyst. May 28, 2023. November 11, 2010. The Cornell Daily Sun.
  31. Web site: Men's Basketball Weekly Release – Week 9. May 28, 2023. January 3, 2011. Ivy League.
  32. Web site: Cornell 86, Wofford 80. May 28, 2023. December 30, 2010. Associated Press. ESPN.
  33. Web site: New Hampshire 68, Cornell 66. May 28, 2023. December 29, 2010. Associated Press. ESPN.
  34. Web site: Cornell Big Red Men's Basketball Record Book. May 29, 2023. June 2022. Cornell Big Red.
  35. Web site: Wroblewski's Career Night Sends Cornell Into Ivy Play With A Win. May 28, 2023. January 8, 2011. Cornellbigred.com. Cornell Big Red.
  36. Web site: Cornell 60, Stony Brook 52. May 28, 2023. January 8, 2011. Associated Press. ESPN.
  37. Web site: 2010–11 Men's Ivy League Leaders. May 29, 2023. Sports Reference.
  38. Web site: Men's Basketball All-Ivy – 2010–11. May 26, 2023. March 9, 2011. IvyLeagueSports.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20110313110640/http://www.ivyleaguesports.com/sports/mbkb/2010-11/releases/Mens_Basketball_All-Ivy_--_2010-11. March 13, 2011. dead.
  39. Web site: Matt Howard of Butler, Austin Meier of MSOE Lead Capital One Academic All America Men's Basketball Team. May 26, 2023. February 22, 2011. College Sports Information Directors of America.
  40. Web site: Brown's Leffelman, Cornell's Wroblewski Named Academic All-America in Men's Basketball. May 28, 2023. February 22, 2011. Ivy League.
  41. Web site: Wroblewski, Gray Help Men's Hoops Split Series With Columbia. May 28, 2023. January 28, 2012. Cornell Big Red. Cornellbigred.com.
  42. Web site: Cornell 85, Yale 84. May 28, 2023. February 10, 2012. Associated Press. ESPN.
  43. Web site: Wroblewski Named Ivy League Player of the Week. May 28, 2023. February 13, 2023. Cornell Big Red. Cornellbigred.com.
  44. Web site: Cornell 69, Brown 63. May 29, 2023. February 24, 2012. Associated Press. ESPN.
  45. Web site: The Year in Sports: Rises and falls among local athletes. subscription. . May 28, 2023. December 29, 2012. The Ithaca Journal.
  46. Web site: Cornell 70, Dartmouth 57. https://web.archive.org/web/20230528033359/https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap/_/gameId/320620172. dead. May 28, 2023. May 28, 2023. March 2, 2012. Associated Press. ESPN.
  47. Web site: Men's Basketball All-Ivy – 2011–12. May 26, 2023. March 7, 2012. IvyLeagueSports.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20120829033924/http://www.ivyleaguesports.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/releases/Mens_Basketball_All-Ivy_--_2011-12. August 29, 2012. dead.
  48. Web site: Tyler Zeller of UNC, Delaware's Elena Delle Donne top Capital One Academic All-America Division I basketball teams. May 26, 2023. February 23, 2012. College Sports Information Directors of America.
  49. Web site: Cornell Academic All-Americans. May 28, 2023. July 28, 2017. Ivy League.
  50. Web site: In spite of rotating coaches, Oswego State basketball seniors carry team to another NCAA playoff spot. May 28, 2023. March 2, 2012. Syracuse.com.
  51. Web site: Men's Basketball 2011–12 (candidate): Chris Wroblewski. May 28, 2023. Senior CLASS Award.
  52. Web site: Former Highland Park stars Josh Bartelstein, Chris Wroblewski to host basketball camp. May 19, 2023. July 31, 2015. Chicago Tribune. Narang, Bobby.
  53. Web site: Local notes: Highland Park graduates to hold coed elite basketball camp. May 26, 2023. August 14, 2016. Chicago Tribune. Narang, Bobby.
  54. Web site: Shout Out: Chris Wroblewski, a Highland Park native who developed 'Soxers' to help men feel comfortable in their boxers. subscription. . May 29, 2023. September 5, 2019. Chicago Tribune (online). Dorfman, Daniel I..