• Related: Previewing the Dunk 4 Diabetes High School Shootout
Andrew Wiggins is regarded in most circles as the best high school basketball player on the planet.
But, the 6-8, 210-pound senior from Thornhill, Ontario, who plays for nationally-ranked Huntington (W.Va.) Prep, doesn't like talking about it.
"All the talk and the questions about where he will attend college is starting to wear on him," said Huntington Prep coach Rob Fulford, whose team plays Mentor on Saturday and Benedictine on Sunday at the Dunk 4 Diabetes Shootout at Walsh University. "Andrew is a very shy and reserved kid. He really does not like all the attention or fanfare. Talking about himself makes him more uncomfortable than anything else."
So uncomfortable that Wiggins has stopped doing telephone interviews and has limited postgame interviews to a few sentences.
This is not Wiggins' first trip to Northeast Ohio. With Kentucky coach John Calipari watching, he scored 19 points, had nine rebounds and blocked two shots as Prep slipped past St. Edward, 60-55, in this event last year.
Athleticism, punctuated by a 44-inch vertical leap, is what sets Wiggins apart. He also has a strong gene pool as his father, Mitchell, is a former first-round draft pick of the Indiana Pacers, and his mother, Marita Payne, is a former two-time Canadian track Olympian.
"His athleticism separates him from his peers at this point," said Fulford. "He is capable of playing all five spots in high school and will be able to play four of the five in college."
While Wiggins is mum on his college choices, Fulford said he will make official visits to Kentucky, Kansas and North Carolina. Going directly to the NBA is not an option at this time, Fulford said. Huntington Prep has played six games in Kentucky this season, drawing an estimated 35,000 fans.
Prep has lost twice this year, falling to Dallas Prime Prep, 59-56, and LaPorte (Ind.) LaLumiere, 46-35.
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