Wayne Sparrow had just completed an unofficial visit to Richmond last Saturday.

The 6-foot-3 junior shooting guard from St. Frances walked away from Richmond’s basketball arena, the Robins Center, and piled into the family car along with his parents, Wayne and Patricia Sparrow, and younger brother Chris.

“As soon as I got in the car, I kept thinking, ‘this is where I want to go,’” Sparrow said. “We were in the parking lot, just sitting there for five minutes, just thinking about it; ‘should I go? Should I go?’ And [then I decided] this was the school.”

Sparrow and his family walked back into the arena, much to the surprise of the Spiders’ coaching staff, and offered his verbal commitment.

“[It felt] nice,” Sparrow said. “I feel real good about committing to Richmond.”

Sparrow averaged approximately 11 points, three assists and two rebounds per game as a sophomore, helping the Panthers to the Baltimore Catholic League championship. It was just after the BCL playoffs that Sparrow first heard from Richmond.

“They wanted me to come up for an elite camp ... and see the campus,” Sparrow said. “They just told me about if I came in as a player, what they would want me to do. ... They just wanted me to come in and be a floor general and be able to score.”

After taking that first unofficial visit in July, Sparrow forged a solid bond with the Richmond staff.

“Coach [Chris] Mooney was always around whenever [assistant] coach Jamal [Brunt] was there. That was really important to get the head coach and the assistant coach around,” Sparrow said. “They just want to make sure I graduate and make sure I do well along the way. They think I can really do something with my life.”

St. Frances assistant Nicholas Myles said Richmond is “a great fit” for Sparrow, whose game Myles likens to a former Maryland standout.

“To me, the player I compare him to most in high school is Juan Dixon,” Myles said. “He’s a very good shooter and has great court awareness, in the same type of mold. ... I think he’ll be an immediate impact player in that conference, for sure. And the Atlantic 10 is a great conference for guards.”

Sparrow said he’s excited to suit up for the Spiders in two years. He rode home from Richmond last Saturday more certain than ever that he found the right fit.

“Before I even got back to Baltimore, people were calling me about it,” Sparrow said. “[They were saying] ‘congratulations; we heard about the commitment, we’re very proud of you.’ … It just felt good. It felt really good.”

Photo: Sparrow (left) battles Mount St. Joseph's Justin McCoy for the ball. Baltimore Sun photo by Kenneth K. Lam / Jan. 23, 2008