By Jason Erickson
Sherman Weatherspoon IV has carried a name long before he ever carried a basketball.
The "IV" at the end of his name is not just tradition. It is history. It is pride. It is responsibility passed down through four generations. It is also why the number on his jersey has always mattered. The IV he carries in his name is the same number he wears on the court, No. 4, a visible reminder of who he is, where he comes from, and the legacy he represents every time he steps onto the floor.
"I go out there every day to represent my family name," Weatherspoon said. "That's why I wear four. It's just me, my IV number."
There is no pressure in the way he says it. Just purpose.
That sense of purpose was shaped early in Maryland, where Weatherspoon grew up surrounded by competition. His mother is from Washington, D.C., his father from Gary, Indiana, two places where toughness is not optional. Maryland hoops culture did the rest. Packed gyms. Long nights. Games that mattered long before college coaches ever showed up.
Before basketball, though, came track. His father, Sherman Weatherspoon III, was a standout track athlete and football player at Johnson C. Smith before a back injury cut his playing career short. Watching that transition gave Sherman perspective early. Nothing was guaranteed. Every opportunity had to be earned.
"Track athletes are probably the best athletes in the world," Weatherspoon said. "Running, jumping, speed, all that translated to basketball for me."
Basketball found him organically. One day at elementary school, he noticed someone dribbling and simply followed along, mimicking the movement. He taught himself. He stayed curious. By third grade, he was playing competitively. By sixth grade, he was on the Under Armour circuit with DC Premier, stepping into a bigger basketball world and discovering just how far the game could take him.
That world expanded quickly at DeMatha Catholic, one of the nation's most respected high school programs. As a freshman, Weatherspoon practiced every day against elite talent, future five-star recruits, future professionals, players who set the standard for what high-level competition looked like.
"They taught me to compete, always compete," he said. "I was a freshman then, but one day I'd be a senior. As long as the coaches could see I could hold my own, that's all I focused on."
His junior season never really happened. COVID shut everything down. A torn labrum followed. But the setbacks did not define him. How he responded did. Weatherspoon transferred to Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School for his senior season, stepping into a leadership role and embracing the opportunity to reset.
"I took everything I learned at DeMatha and became a leader," he said.
He led his team to regionals and earned County Player of the Year and First Team All-State honors, proving to himself that his game and his confidence were intact.
Originally committed to Maryland, Weatherspoon's recruiting path shifted as COVID-era eligibility rules reshaped college rosters nationwide. Instead of heading home, he packed up and traveled across the country to Prolific Prep in California, one of the nation's premier basketball academies, a leap of faith for an only child whose parents he still calls his first best friends.
"It was different," he said. "But I kept the main thing the main thing, basketball."
That year proved invaluable, helping him mature physically and mentally while preparing him for Division I basketball at Valparaiso.
As a freshman, Weatherspoon played in 31 games and made 10 starts, averaging 5.0 points per game while shooting 34.4 percent from three. He showed flashes of his scoring ability with efficient outings, including a season-high 13 points in just 15 minutes at Central Michigan and a perfect 4-for-4 night from three at Murray State, making him Valpo's first player since Alec Peters in 2016 to go perfect from deep with four or more attempts.
"We struggled, but I learned a lot," Weatherspoon said. "The coaches taught me the game. I'm grateful for that year."
Still, something felt unfinished.
"I had more to offer," he said. "I didn't want the same role, so I took the JUCO route to showcase my talent."
That decision led him to Frank Phillips College in Texas and became a turning point.
JUCO basketball is demanding in ways few levels are. Different backgrounds. Different motivations. Different pressures. Weatherspoon thrived in that environment, playing in 34 games and making 32 starts while averaging 10.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. More importantly, he became a leader.
"JUCO is hard," he said. "It's a lot of guys from a lot of places with a lot of stories. My biggest role was keeping the locker room together."
His success reopened Division I doors. Offers came in. Visits lined up. Utah Valley was not originally part of the plan.
"Honestly, I didn't think I'd end up here," he said.
That changed the moment he arrived in Orem.
The mountains. The quiet. The clarity. The focus. The coaching staff's emphasis on development and accountability. It all clicked.
"I canceled my next visit after I left," he said. "It was kind of a no-brainer."
Utah has surprised him in ways he did not expect. Hiking has become part of his routine, a carryover from early mornings back home. "It helps me clear my mind," he said. Fashion has become another outlet, thrifting pieces and building outfits creatively instead of expensively.
On the court, he brings experience and a winning mindset shaped by every stop along the way.
"I learned how to win," he said. "My job is to bring energy, compete, and be a great teammate. Competing is the number one thing I bring to Utah Valley."
His favorite basketball memory still traces back to the AAU circuit in Atlanta. Down 17 with six minutes left in a win-or-go-home game, his coach put the ball in his hands every possession.
"I ran off 17 straight," he said. "We came back and won by one. Seeing my teammates so happy for me, that was the best part."
The moment he is still chasing is simple.
"A college game winner," he said. "That's the ultimate."
For a player who has traveled from Maryland to California to Indiana to Texas and now Utah, the journey has never been linear. Each stop added perspective. Each challenge added growth.
And when it is all said and done, the goal remains simple.
"When the ball stops bouncing," Weatherspoon said, "I want to say I took care of my family. They always wanted the best for me. That's the end goal."
It is a purpose that fits the name on the back of his jersey and the legacy he is proud to carry forward, one chapter at a time.
