Andrew Wiggins is set to announce where he is going to be spending the next year of his life Tuesday May 14th, 2013 at around 12:15pm EST. The internet is about to explode while fans of four different schools and all college basketball fans alike await the news. To some people his decision will be a shock. To others, a mere “I KNEW IT!” will say it all. In my opinion, I will be shocked regardless of where Andrew Wiggins decides to go.
Wiggins is to choose between Florida State, Kansas, the University of Kentucky, and the University of North Carolina. I personally have heard so many different opinions. Some people are convinced that UNC will get Wiggins. Some are certain that he will go to FSU because of his parents. I have heard people saying that Wiggins will choose Kansas or Kentucky and that the other two are out. I have no idea what to believe.
My gut feeling tells me that Andrew Wiggins will attend Florida State next semester. Parent’s opinions always weigh heavily on the decision of recruits. That being said, I cannot see any other reason for Wiggins to attend this school other than because FSU is the alma mater of both of his parents.
My head tells me that Andrew Wiggins will go to Kansas University. KU is a respectable university that is almost always a title contender. KU also lost four senior starters from this past year and they also lost Ben McLemore, a freshman starter who decided to enter the NBA draft. This sparks open a ridiculous amount of play time for Wiggins and gives him a place to make a big name of himself in just one year.
As paranoia sets in, I begin to fear that Wiggins will decide to attend the University of Kentucky. Being a North Carolina fan, this is the worst case scenario. None of us want to see Andrew Wiggins join Calipari, let alone the eight other recruits that Kentucky managed to pick up. If Wiggins were to join the Wildcats, Calipari would have picked up nine of this years top recruits. The most depressing part of that statement? Seven of those players are ranked in the top 25 on ESPN’s top 100 rankings. I’m not sure there is a Carolina fan out there that wants to see Wiggins join this squad.
My heart, on the other hand, is telling me that Andrew Wiggins will surely pick the University of North Carolina. Andrew Wiggins fits the Carolina personality perfectly. He is a good kid with good morals and a good head on his shoulders. He is a family person and he keeps his life private. Many people think Wiggins is an attention seeker for waiting so long to make a decision. This is not the case. He is not a kid that is full of drama; rather he is an eighteen year old boy trying to decide exactly which school will be able to set him up for the rest of his life. Think about that. Bring yourself back, or forward, to 18 years of age; young and naive again. How are you supposed to decide your entire life at such a young age? It may not seem this way to some people, however, Andrew Wiggins is making a decision that could make or break his entire career, let alone his entire life.
Getting back into the basketball aspect of this situation, UNC could definitely benefit from Andrew Wiggins. I hate to say it, but Reggie Bullock leaving this year actually brought the chances of Wiggins coming to UNC up a few notches. With Paige at point, Wiggins and Hairston on the wings, and McAdoo putting it up, this team is an automatic title contender. Wiggins could make this team unstoppable. So our opponent wants to shut down Hairston? Do it, we have Wiggins on the other side. You think you can box up on Wiggins? No worries, we got Mac going at it down low. There is no team out there stronger than a North Carolina team with Wiggins on it. Mark my words.
There is still a huge chance that we will not get Andrew Wiggins, but that does not mean we should give up and hang our heads about this coming season. A UNC team without Wiggins is still a huge threat. I would not say this team is unbeatable, and I will not say we will have an easy season, but we are definitely still in a contending position for a Final Four trip in the 2013-2014 season even without Andrew Wiggins. Here are the facts:
Number 1:
We have experience. Experience has become so rare in college basketball. We have PJ Hairston, Marcus Paige, and James Michael McAdoo as returning starters. We have even more experience coming off the bench with players like Leslie McDonald, Desmond Hubert, and Jackson Simmons.
Number 2:
Do not count out last years freshman class. Okay, so last years incoming class has had their year to adjust from high school basketball to college basketball. Now let’s see what they can do to help out the team. Players like JP Tokoto, Joel James, Brice Johnson, and Marcus Paige all have a year of experience under their belt. They have passed through their rookie seasons and are ready to play some ball.
Number 3:
Our new recruits. North Carolina’s recent biggest struggle has been getting a tall but also strong player out on the court. Ole Roy has had to go small with his team in order to come out of games on top. While this worked for the most part last year, it became a struggle to get any second chance shots, also Roy has already expressed his displeasure with this and said it would not happen again. It seemed that we were making more turnovers than baskets. This year will be a different story. Coach Roy has recruited and signed a 6 foot 8 inch, 210 lb power forward, Isaiah Hicks. In high school, Hicks was a powerful player who was not afraid to take the ball to the basket, in the state championship game he came away with 34 points and 30 rebounds. Hopefully he brings these traits into college as well. Roy also signed a 6 foot 9 inch, 275 lb center, Kennedy Meeks. While many people doubt Meeks because of his size, he did not become a McDonald’s All-American without talent. Meeks is incredible under the basket, both offensively and defensively and Roy compared his outlet abilities to those of Kevin Love. His presence this year will help Carolina immensely. The final definite addition to this team is a new point guard, Nate Britt. Britt is 6 foot 1 inch, 165 lb PG, who will most likely be a back up to Paige. Britt has a lot of raw talent, and most importantly, he has an unstoppable eye for the court. This type of vision is not something that you can learn; it is a raw talent that this boy has.
Whatever the outcome may be tomorrow afternoon just remember these facts: Andrew Wiggins will not make or break our team. Tar Heel nation is on a fight for this year’s championship and we can do it with or without Wiggins. Even if we don’t score this awesome recruit, stay loyal to your Tar Heels. The sky is Carolina Blue for a reason. Until next time, keep on bleeding blue.
GO TAR HEELS
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