And with one tweet, it was official.
Andrew Wiggins will be attending Kansas
— Grant Traylor (@GrantTraylor) May 14, 2013
Proving once again we all knew absolutely nothing, Andrew Wiggins decided to take his talents to Kansas. Word was starting to spread that the Jayhawks were coming on strong, but still, when you look at the experts’ predictions guesses, the clear favorites were Florida State, followed by Kentucky.
For the Seminoles…this has to be crushing. I mean like a Chuck Norris roundhouse kick to the groin. This was suppose to be the moment that would finally push their program into elite status. Now they’re just a team in desperate need of a small forward, destined to battle for mediocrity in the ACC. Even though Florida State fans never officially got together with Wiggins, this really has to feel like a bad breakup.
As for Kansas, what a get. Props to Bill Self.
Obviously everyone is going to say, “Kansas is the perfect fit for Wiggins,” but let’s be honest, that statement was true of any school he went to.
Having said that, Kansas is a perfect for the Andrew Wiggins. He can walk in on day one and the team will be his team. The Jayhawks are starting from scratch after graduating four starters and losing freshman Ben McLemore.
They will be ridiculously young. They have no seniors on scholarship, as they bring in the nation’s second best recruiting class (and that’s without Wiggins). In total, six new players will be headed to Kansas, including the number one center Joel Embiid, the 4th and 9th rated shooting guards, Wayne Selden and Brannen Greene, plus the #10 rated point guard Conner Frankamp.
The projected starting line up will feature junior point guard Naadir Tharpe, sophomore power forward Perry Ellis and Wiggins of course at small forward. I would guess freshmen Embiid will get the start inside, while freshmen Selden and Greene will battle for playing time with sophomore guard Andrew White III.
Prior to Wiggins, I would have had Kansas in the top-20. I probably move them into or near the top-10 with Wiggins, but let’s be careful with expectations. This team’s player rotation will feature just one player who can legally drink. Of the top 12 players capable of stealing some minutes, 11 of them are underclassmen. Even John Calipari is looking at Bill Self’s roster and saying, “damn, they’re young.”
As a ACC fan, I’m sad not to have Wiggins in the conference. However, we are guaranteed one great look at what he could do against an ACC team.
On November 12, Kansas takes on Duke in the Championship Class. This year, the classic is being played at the United Center in Chicago. Yep, Jabari Parker’s backyard. That’s right, it will be the next Lebron vs. the next Lebron, although technically, Rodney Hood will probably be asked to guard Wiggins.
