Kentucky Wildcats Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing the Competition for Andrew Wiggins
Mar 7, 2013; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles guard Ian Miller (30) in the second half of their game against the Virginia Cavaliers at the Donald L. Tucker Center. The Florida State Seminoles beat the Virginia Cavaliers 53-51. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports
Florida State Seminoles
Final Season Ranking- N/A
2012/2013 Record- 18-15
Tournament Performance- Lost to Louisiana Tech in the First Round of the NIT
Key Losses- Michael Snaer (Guard)
Key Returning Players- Okaro White (Forward), Devon Bookert (Guard)
Key Incoming Freshmen- #30 Xavier Rathan-Mayes, #17 Center Jarquez Smith
Recruiting Class Rank- N/A
2013/2014 Preseason Rank- #25
The Seminoles went from up and coming team in 2012 to bust in 2013. They aren’t losing anyone significant, but their returning starters didn’t impress and the players they have coming in aren’t impact freshmen. I honestly think their #25 preseason rank is due to the fact that they seem to be a front runner for Andrew Wiggins. Without him, they are outside of the top 25.
We all know that Wiggins’ parents went to Florida State and we know that Xavier Rathan-Mayes is his friend and teammate at Huntington Prep, but from a purely basketball stand point, FSU is the worst place for Wiggins. He will be expected to come in and lead this team to contend for an ACC title and in to the NCAA tournament. For a kid that doesn’t relish the spotlight, it doesn’t sound like a likely fit.
But if Wiggins wants to go to a school and be the focal point for the offense, the defense, the inbound play, the water boy and the head scouting coordinator, then FSU will be the place for him. The main problem with FSU is that Wiggins will be the focus of opposing coaches as well. He will face double and triple teams and his teammates won’t be good enough to bail him out. Please refer to my earlier comparison to Kevin Durant at Texas as a great example. While Durant was the national player of the year and an NBA super star in the making, Texas was medicore and flamed out in the second round of the tournament. I don’t think FSU will be as good as that Texas team was.
Conclusion
Andrew has a lot to think about in the next couple of weeks. Each team has its positives and its negatives; the challenge for Wiggins is to see which school offers the best positives.
Hopefully that school is Kentucky in the end. He has visited Kentucky multiple times and has a good feel for the fans and the facilities. John Calipari is the best in the game when it comes to recruiting and does a masterful job at preparing players for the NBA Draft.
One cannot overlook the time that he has spent with Julius Randle, Dakari Johnson and the Harrison twins. They have been in his ear about coming to Kentucky and have already built a bond with one another. Out of those players, Julius Randle has become closest to Wiggins. Both played well off one another and their concentration on winning seems to be on par. If Wiggins does choose Kentucky, much of the thanks may go toward the new Kentucky power forward.
When Wiggins does announce, don’t expect a lot of fanfare from him. He has said that he will not hold a press conference and that he will probably have someone tweet his decision for him. But rest assured, whichever team he chooses will have a fan base that will do all of the celebrating for him.
*Recruit Rankings From Rivals.com
*Preseason Top 25 From CBSSports.com