Andrew Wiggins Reclassifies to Class of 2013, Adds More Schools to List
Posted by KAlmekinder on October 26th, 2012Thursday became a huge day in the world of recruiting when top Class of 2014 prospect Andrew Wiggins decided to reclassify to the Class of 2013, essentially moving all of his college recruiting visits and commitment to a lucky college to next spring. This decision allows Wiggins to leapfrog current undecided recruit Jabari Parker to take over the #1 spot as the top recruit in this year’s senior class. Wiggins is currently in the process of taking the necessary classes and filing the paperwork to finalize his transition.
Wiggins is considered by some to be the best high school player since LeBron James (Getty Images)
Wiggins, a native of Thornhill, Ontario (Canada), chose to finish his amateur basketball career at Huntington (WV) Prep, a ‘basketball academy’ known for producing great basketball players from across the globe, including current collegiate star Gorgui Dieng (Louisville), but also former athletes of the coaching staff including current Dallas Mavericks guard O.J. Mayo, Houston Rockets forward Patrick Patterson, New York Knicks guard Bill Walker, West Virginia forward Deniz Kilicli, and current Virginia Tech football player Logan Thomas. Xavier Rathan-Mayes, the 25th best player in the 2013 class and Wiggins’ teammate, recently chose to attend Florida State.
What makes Andrew Wiggins’ so spectacular? Some media members familiar with his talents have heralded him as the “best high school player since LeBron James.” The consensus is that Wiggins’ skill set is dominant in almost every category — scoring, slashing to the rim, rebounding, passing, and defense — all with the same tenacity and passion demonstrated by James throughout his time in high school and in the NBA.
Wiggins’ also opened up his recruitment to allow three more schools — Kansas, North Carolina, and Ohio State, along with previous schools Kentucky and Florida State — to visit and put forth its best recruiting pitch to land his services. Most pundits agree that UK and FSU are the top schools vying for Wiggins, both with a different approach. Kentucky, with John Calipari’s success of combining highly-ranked players together and corralling their egos to produce a winning “super team” while giving his players the free will to opt for the NBA Draft, allows for an easy sales pitch to Wiggins. Florida State has a much more personal approach. A similar situation to the Harrison twins’ connection to Maryland, Wiggins’ parents were both star athletes in Tallahassee. His father, Mitchell, was drafted in the 1983 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers and went on to play a total of six seasons in the NBA before heading overseas. Marita Payne-Wiggins, Andrew’s mother, was a collegiate track star at Florida State and competed for Canada at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. She’s currently the Canadian co-record holder in the 400-meter dash. Coupled with Andrew’s teammate’s commitment to the Seminoles earlier this month, Leonard Hamilton’s squad could have an inside track on signing Wiggins.
Questions remain as to why Wiggins decided to have a total of five schools recruit him but some pundits have suggested that the prep star wanted to fill his total allotted amount of recruiting visits or possibly to help his teammates’ by bringing more schools to practice. Others think Wiggins may want to become a standout at schools where the limelight focuses on him. As his now-senior season progresses, we will hear more updates on his reclassification and the pursuit for his transcendental abilities by these schools. Wiggins will instantly become a force on any team he decides to play for and could act as a future poster child and role model, much like James has been for up-and-coming basketball players like him.
