[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

Think most of us on this site are familiar with Andrew Wiggins, considered by most to be the #1 player in the HS class of 2014. To those who are not, Andrew was born in Canada to a former NBA basketball player father (Mitchell Wiggins) and Olympic track medalist mother. Also, if you have seen the video "Best 13 year old in the nation?" which got over 3.8 million youtube views, that was Andrew.

After killing the competition at Vaughan Secondary, Andrew decided to make a move to the US to play at Huntington Prep in West Virginia. With a lot of Canadian talent on its roster, Wiggins has definitely been the teams star and lived up to the early hype. Andrew’s shooting mechanics have appeared to improve and he has held down the top spot in most rankings after tearing up the AAU ranks last summer.

The early favorites for Andrew’s college services appear to be the usual college powerhouses. Kentucky seems to be on the trail, while many have brought up North Carolina and Duke. However, both of Andrew’s parents went to Florida State University, which looks like it is strongly in the mix. Needless to say, Andrew is a pretty exciting prospect and a monster athlete. I believe he turns 17 fairly soon (if he hasn’t already) and he should make some noise in the next few months once the EYBL (Nike Elite Youth Basketball League) play starts.

[Hi its BenParticipant]

 who does he remind you of mikeyv

[Chilbert arenasParticipant]

 He looks phisically mature beyond his years.  He’s a man child already.  A lot of dunks in the highlight and not many jump shots.  I would like to see his measurments. He’s got a fram that could be scarey. 

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

Some people refer to Andrew as "The Canadian LeBron James", but that is a pretty unfair comparison. LeBron was not this good at his age ;). Seriously though, he is not LeBron. If Jabari Parker is the next Melo, than one guy I might compare Andrew to would possibly be Rudy Gay. Heaven knows if he has the same hops that Rudy does (probably not), but he is really athletic with an ability to do a bit of everything. The major complaint with Andrew has been a lack of full assertiveness at times, much like Rudy went through in his time at UConn.

I am pretty sure Andrew is at the very least 6’6, if not 6’7 with I am guessing a 6’10 or more wingspan. The guy has had a pretty solid frame for quite a while and definitely is very physically mature for his age. He is definitely quick and has major springs. Remember, this is a highlight tape, so of course it is going to show dunks and nice plays. Still, his release on his jumper looks improved, it used to be even lower. I think he is a much better athlete than Jabari Parker, but not close to as polished. Still, his upside is definitely there. Andrew needs to work on moving without the ball and his handle. Still is coming along well and should be one of the better upcoming HS prospects in the next couple of years.

[MalcolmxParticipant]

 He appears to be one of those talents that comes by every so often. You have to watch him in person. It looks like a NBA player in the making

[alex23Participant]

 he reminds me of a young tmac in how he slashes to the basket

[PrecociousNeophyteParticipant]

 Any chance he moves up a grade? 17 is pretty old for a sophomore.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

He is actually older than Jabari Parker. I think a lot of these guys get held back, though. OJ Mayo was 21 a few weeks into his rookie season as a one and done. It happens and I do not know if Andrew has plans of going back to his original class. If he did, I think he would probably be right between Jabari Parker and Julius Randle in class of 2013. Either way, think this kid is one of the best prospects in HS basketball right now, whatever class he is in.

[HaleParticipant]

I’m really high on him. He’s probably the 4th highest I’ve ever been on a prospect.

[EuroBallParticipant]

Andrew is the truth. Great to see this kid keep meeting expectation. Canada Basketball is clearly on the rise. Wiggins is still 16, soon he will be 17. His future is bright and it will be good for this Kid to choose Duke as his number 1 option. How many Canadians can actually say they played for Coach K? Duke in my eyes are for former NBA players son’s to play at. I’m kidding! Let’s keep setting the bar higher and reachable for this kid because he is only 16.

[JMIKE is a Grizz fanParticipant]

did i see nerlens noel get shot on? at 45

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

They lost to Tilton, though (Noel finished with 8, 5 and 3 blocks. Not sure how Andrew did).

Y2G: Who were 5 prospects you have been the highest on? I find the way you phrase it to be hilariously awesome 🙂

Also, EuroBall, Greg Newton was a Canadian center who played for Coach K at Duke (1994-97). Other than Greg, not sure if any other Canadians have played for him. I for one am not a Duke fan in the least, so I am kind of hoping he goes somewhere else. Oregon would be fantastic, though we will more than likely have to settle on Nick Wiggins. Nick is Andrew’s older brother who looks like a strong JUCO prospect:

http://blog.oregonlive.com/ducks/2012/02/oregon_basketball_recruiting_a.html

Anthony Bennett has us in his top 5 as well, though I have been convinced all along that he would go to Kentucky. Either way, think we are a long shot for Bennett and a longer shot for Andrew. Think that Kentucky and Florida State look incredibly favorable, though Duke definitely has some decent odds. His b-day is in a little over a week though (2/23/1995), but I think the bar is definitely set very high for Andrew. He has a chance to be a star at any level he wants.

[HaleParticipant]

 Haha I’m glad you enjoyed it Mikey.

I’ll go since 2006, that’s about when I starting figuring out how to determine if a player could be good or not (not just looking up NCAA’s leading scorer).

1. Kevin Durant-First time I read about him, I knew he was going to be a stud. He had everything you could ever want in a player. His size/shooting combo blew me away.

2. John Wall-Rose is my favorite player, but when Wall came to Kentucky I thought he was going to be the superior player. He probably started off better, but didn’t end as well, hasn’t had the career of Rose.

3. Derrick Rose-My favorite player ever. As soon as he committed to Memphis I watched some games of his and he blew my mind. He was everything I ever wanted to see: A big ultra athletic PG who could finish in traffic.

4. Andrew Wiggins-I just have a feeling he’ll be a superstar. He’s ungodly athletic and he looks more skilled every time I see him play. If he can continue to well round his game, he will be a superstar.

5. DeAndre Jordan-I didn’t buy the red flags thrown at him during the draft and was shocked when he went to the 2nd round. Definitely not the player I thought he was going to be, but he’s found himself a nice niche.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

Have to say, I still would take Greg Oden over Jordan. Injuries and all. Not to mention, the dude was a far superior prospect. Are these guys you liked the most or thought were the best? Guessing it must be the first one, because Oden was a freaking stud. If I had to go since 2006, he would be #1 on my list. Derrick Rose was a guy I was also really high on, even more so than Kevin Durant. Not saying that he is better than Durant, because I do not think he is at this point in time, but I was a very high on D-Rose.

[HaleParticipant]

It’s a little bit of both, if I wasn’t a fan of someone I wouldn’t be too high on them. I wasn’t nearly as high on Griffin or Oden as anyone else was, although I thought they would both be pretty good. I thought DeAndre was going to be D12 lite (I really don’t know why). Keep in mind I was about 15 when Oden was coming out though. 

 

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

Let’s not kid ourselves; Nerlens Noel, Shabazz Muhammad and Jabari Parker aren’t the only future stars coming through the ranks. Andrew Wiggins (Toronto, Can./Huntington Prep) belongs in the conversation with those big-timers.

Wiggins is in the Class of 2014, is 6-foot-7 and the son of a former Florida State standout.

“His mom and dad both went to Florida State and there are ties there but it’s not a given that he ends up there,” CIA Bounce coach Mike George said.

FSU coach Leonard Hamilton is all over this one but he’s got company — namely the Kentucky Wildcats.

“Kentucky’s been the one that’s been here the most,” Huntington Prep coach Rob Fulford said. “I would say they’re coming above average (for Kentucky standards) but it’s not the fullcourt press yet. They’re in a 2-2-1 right now but it’s coming.”

Kentucky, Florida State, West Virginia and North Carolina are in the mix. All but UNC has sent its head coach to see him during the high school season. My guess is they’ve come away impressed.

“The dude is so naturally gifted it’s ridiculous,” George said. “He understands the game at such a young age and he beats you in so many ways. He could play in college right now and have a huge impact in college.”

Fulford said there are the natural gaps of lackadaisical play young players go through but Wiggins is on a team with so many standouts that he’s learning the valuable lesson of playing without the ball in his hands. Fulford said he accepts coaching, looks you in the eye and embraces the competitiveness of practices against other Division I talents.

-by Dave Telep, ESPN Senior Recruiting Analyst

http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/dave-telep/post?id=951

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