Tony Wroten Jr. hoping to return to court this season

His shot looks better than ever.

The left hand lingers in the air, a signature follow-through as the basketball slides through the net.

"That's the one we want," his private coach says, zipping the ball back to him. "That's my guy."

That's Tony Wroten Jr., the guy at Garfield High School when it comes to basketball, one of the top recruits in the nation. The 6-foot-5 junior is back on the practice court less than five months after tearing his right ACL in the opening football game of the season.

Facing his first full interview since the injury, Wroten Jr. relaxes against a Garfield gym wall and readies for the onslaught of questions.

One begs for an immediate answer: Will he play this season?

"Everybody out there, stay tuned. Keep coming to our games. You might see me," he said Thursday with the exuberance and optimism of a 16-year-old.

Or you might not, his father warns.

"If I had to go on record, I would say no," Tony Wroten Sr. said Friday.

The decision hinges partly on how the knee fares in what Wroten Jr.'s doctor calls a "hop test" on Feb. 18, a 45- to 60-minute exam that includes a lot of hopping with balance and strength tests, Wroten Sr. said.

Wroten Jr., who had surgery on Sept. 21, thinks he will pass that test and said with a smile, "We have a game on the 19th."

That drew a chuckle from Wroten Sr., who noted the doctor said he would allow Wroten Jr. only to fully practice for two weeks if he passes the test, not immediately play. Wroten Jr., who has a narrow, 2-inch scar on his knee, has been participating in limited drills with the Garfield team for the past month.

His personal coach, who happens to be his aunt, the legendary Joyce Walker, has been working on his mechanics since October. She said she has seen remarkable progress but does not expect Wroten Jr. to play this season.

"He doesn't have to," said Walker, who recently had her jersey retired by Garfield.

Wroten Jr. said he knows this will be a family decision.

"But the doctor said that at the end of the day, it's how I feel," he said. "If I feel my knee's strong enough to play, I'm going to play."

Wroten Jr. said he feels 85 to 90 percent — although not in basketball shape — and getting better every day. But he just might run out of games before he gets the chance to play this season. Two weeks after Feb. 18 is March 4, which is the second day of the Class 4A state tournament.

Wroten Sr., who tore an ACL his senior year at Hazen High School and went on to play football at Washington and in the NFL, said he hasn't told his son that he definitely won't play this season in part because he hasn't wanted to dampen the younger Wroten's spirits and gung-ho approach to recovery.

Garfield, which lost last year's state championship game to Federal Way, is holding its own in the tough KingCo 4A Conference without Wroten Jr., recently knocking off two ranked opponents to improve to 9-3, 12-4 overall. Coach Ed Haskins is hopeful his star player will return in time for another championship run.

"He's our confidence, he's the swagger of Garfield right now," Haskins said. "He's the type of player who makes everybody better."

But Haskins said the most important thing is his health.

"We want what's best for Tony," he said.

Haskins said recruiting interest has not cooled in Wroten Jr., saying, "There's not a college that wasn't interested before that isn't still interested," he said.

Wroten Jr. said he is not close to making a college choice, but has a top five: Syracuse, Villanova, Connecticut, Tennessee and Washington.

He said not being able to play this season has rekindled his love for the game and pushed him to improve.

"It made me want it more," he said.

Wroten Jr. said he has no regrets about playing football, his first time since seventh grade, and would do it over again. He said he would turn out next fall if it was up to him, but realizes it probably won't be.

"Everything happens for a reason. God's got something planned for me," he said. "Unlike everyone else, I didn't get down, I just worked harder than ever."

Even his mother, Shirley Wroten, said she doesn't regret allowing him to play football, where he could just be one of the guys. Seeing the smile on his face was worth it, she said.

Still, she said, "it's been like a roller-coaster ride. We're coming down and we're getting ready to stop and get off."

Wroten Jr. is ready to show off his improved game, which he credits in part to the hours spent with Walker.

"You're going to see when I come back," he said. "I'm going to be unstoppable."

Sandy Ringer: 206-718-1512 or sringer@seattletimes.com