Andrew Wiggins, the #1 overall recruit in the 2013 class, is headed to the University of Kansas next fall.
On Tuesday, around 12:15 EST, the superstar announced that he would be attending KU at a private ceremony with friends and family. He chose KU over Florida State, Kentucky, and North Carolina.
His commitment to the Jayhawks provides some relief to fans who worried that the team wouldn’t be as good next year, as predicted by many major journalists.
Now, instead of feeling worried, most fans are excited. Adding Wiggins, who is expected to be the next LeBron James or Michael Jordan (source of his nickname, Maple Jordan), certainly boosts the Jayhawks into prime position to win a tenth straight Big XII Championship.
Wiggins averaged 23.4 points and 11.2 rebounds per game this season, and played in many high school showcase games such as the McDonald’s All-American Game and the Jordan Brand Classic.
The competitive nature of the Jayhawks may have been the tipping point for him to come to Lawrence. However, there were many other factors. KU is generally regarded as a school with a lot of tradition and history, something Wiggins said was important. Also, Wiggins’ brother, Nick, is a senior at Wichita State next year, and would be within driving distance of his brother.
One of the main recruiting chips for Bill Self and the Jayhawks was the elite teammates Wiggins would have stepping in with him right away. Kansas now has the #2 overall recruiting class, behind John Calipari and the University of Kentucky. Don’t let KU’s #2 ranking fool you; Kentucky has five of the top ten players and one of the best classes in recent history.
Joining Wiggins in Lawrence next year will be big man Joel Embiid, the #6 player according to ESPN, and Wayne Selden, who is ranked at #14. Outside of the Top 25 is Wichita-native Conner Frankamp (#46), Brannen Greene (#47), and unranked point guard Frank Mason.
The Jayhawks don’t return a single starter, however. Elijah Johnson, Travis Releford, Jeff Withey, and Kevin Young all graduated, and Ben McLemore is headed to the pros. Key reserves Naadir Tharpe and Perry Ellis are expected to step in and fill starting and leadership roles next season.
However, Wiggins and the Jayhawks face many potential road blocks. The Big XII is constantly regarded as one of the toughest conferences in college basketball, and expected top-5 pick Marcus Smart shockingly returned to Oklahoma State.
The road to a tenth straight Big XII Championship is bumpy for the Jayhawks, but Andrew Wiggins may have just made it a little smoother.