*FAN SUBMISSION by Charles Kruzits of Catonsville. Follow him on Twitter @Kruzindirty.*
This wasn’t “The Decision,” nor did Andrew Wiggins hold a press conference or have reporters in the audience. Instead, the top ranked recruit from the class of 2013 made his college decision alongside his parents to a gymnasium filled with fellow classmates and family members.
Hailing from Canada, Wiggins attended Huntington Prep in West Virginia, the same High School where now-NBA’er, O.J. Mayo, played for his senior season. While many scouts, including Chad Ford of ESPN, believe that Wiggins would be undoubtedly the first overall pick in the NBA draft had he been eligible, the Canadian-prodigy was left with deciding which University will provide the best opportunity for a season. Wiggins is not the type of talent that will stay four-years in college, he’s the player that will go all-in for one season and then enter his name in the NBA hat with expectations that David Stern will call his name first in the 2014 draft.
The frontrunners in the sweepstakes for the prized recruit were: Florida State, Kentucky, Kansas, Duke, and North Carolina. For these five coaches of the aforementioned programs, landing Wiggins could result in lofty contract extensions, more TV games, and a chance to play in the Championship game. But, only one coach was jumping for joy when Wiggins made his announcement. That coach was Bill Self, the head man for the Kansas Jayhawks.
Via JayhawkSlant.com, Self was quoted saying, “Obviously, everyone in Jayhawk-land is overwhelmed and excited today,” Self said. “This was a pleasant surprise because we never had an idea which way he was leading.” Along with Wiggins, Self and his recruiters landed quite the incoming class landing four prospects in the top 40. With the addition of Wiggins, the Jayhawks have rapidly risen to a top-10 team in the land.
Courtesy: Bleacher Report
His athleticism is a direct correlation from his parents, both of whom competed at Florida State. His mother, Marita, was a two-time Olympian in the relays while his father, Mitchell, played basketball for the Seminoles and enjoyed a long stint in the NBA ranks. With that said, it’s no wonder Self was joyous when Wiggins didn’t blurt out Tallahassee as his future stomping grounds. Standing 6’7, Wiggins has a similar body structure as Kevin Durant but don’t let the fact that he’s only 205 pounds fool you, he means business when he drives to the bucket.
As the many highlight films fortify, there’s not many things this TEENAGER can’t do. He has the ability to shake defenders and hit jumpers from anywhere on the floor all the while his leaping ability is astonishing. When discussing his “Big Board” via ESPN.com, Ford wrote, “Wiggins is one of the three or four best prospects in the last decade. He has the ability to completely turn around a franchise. All 30 teams would take him with the No. 1 pick if they could.”
The guidelines for eligibility in the eyes of the NBA is/has been a controversial water-cooler topic. Wiggins is one of the few individuals that could make the jump from High School to the NBA similar to Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett. But, for every minimal example such as the latter, there are far more that have flopped and would have benefitted from enrolling in college, i.e. Jonathan Bender, Robert Swift, Sebastian Telfair and one of the biggest busts of all time, Kwame Brown.
Wiggins is fortunate to not have the option to enter the pro ranks directly from High School. As talented as he may be, even Lebron James has his flaws. The stop-gap, also known as college basketball, will serve as a learning curve for Wiggins and provide more time to develop his craft for the big-leagues.
Wiggins proved his value when participating on the All-Star circuit. While ballin’ in the McDonalds All-America game, Wiggins poured in 19-points while out-performing his biggest competition in Jabari Parker. Parker, who scored 10 points in the game, was rated as the top player until ‘Storm Wiggins’ stole the spotlight.
Also, in the Slam Dunk contest, Wiggins threw down a 360-underneath-the-legs dunk which nearly brought the entire gymnasium onto the court to praise the next great one. Wiggins was previously the top player in the class of 2014 but because of the strength of the 2013 class, Wiggins wanted to prove his worth and he decided to reclassify to the 2013 class.
After playing prep ball as an eighth-grader, Wiggins was able to “move-up” a grade and instead of this being his junior year in high school, it will be his last. Mitchell, his father, believes that his son is mature enough and academically proven to make the jump. Once Wiggins made it official, the winds from the north blew Parker to the second spot in the class of 2013 and Wiggins took the top spot. This form of demotion didn’t appease Parker’s father Sonny, who like Mitchell Wiggins, also played pro ball.
When asked of his son being replaced as the top player in the class, Sonny said “Based on what? That’s what I’m asking,” he told ESPNChicago.com. “Based on a few weeks of AAU? The AAU stuff is overrated. Jabari was the national freshman of the year, the national sophomore of the year, the Gatorade national player of the year as a junior.” Sonny added, “High school is more important to Jabari. He’s won three straight titles and wants to win a fourth this year. You talk about athleticism. Jabari can play the 1 through 5 at 6-foot-9. It’s just peoples’ opinions.”
Parker, who will be playing for Duke come fall, is a tremendous talent. But, it’s the explosiveness that sets the two apart. Parker, more of a cerebral player, is Tim Duncan-like when he’s on the hardwood. Very methodical but Wiggins plays with ferocity and attacks the basket similar to guys named James and Westbrook. Wiggins hasn’t said it publicly but all bets lean towards the swingman being a ‘one-and-done’ player. Barring a tragic injury, there’s not a single scenario in which Wiggins will not be the first overall pick in the NBA draft.
One of the preeminent talents at such a young age, the tenacity, athleticism, and potential that lies within Wiggins will make him one of the most talked about players for many years to come. With such lofty expectations, Wiggins will undoubtedly welcome all critics and challengers and continue to thrive and show why he’s the next line of great young talents to take the country and then some by storm.
