RealGM Basketball Wiretap

Tyus Jones Receives 3 Of 6 Votes From ESPN Experts On Who To Build College Team Around

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:37:20 EDT

With Andrew Wiggins committing to Kansas this week, several of ESPN's writers that follow high school basketball recruiting offered their opinion on who they would choose to build a team around.

Tyus Jones, the No. 2 overall recruit for 2014 and an excellent point guard, was selected by Paul Biancardi, Adam Finkelstein and John Stovall. 

"Point guards make the world go 'round, and Jones is the best in high school right now," wrote Stovall. "Not only can he make plays for himself, he also elevates the games of all of his teammates. Jones is the closest thing you will find to Chris Paul on the amateur level."

Dave Telep selected Harry Giles, a freshman forward out of North Carolina, who has an advanced inside/outside game at 6-9.

Reggie Rankin picked Andrew Harrison, who is a point guard commit for Kentucky.

Joel Francisco selected Wiggins.

Andrew Wiggins To Make College Decision On Tuesday

Mon, 13 May 2013 12:34:02 EDT

Andrew Wiggins will sign his letter of intent on Tuesday at approximately 12:15 PM EST.

Wiggins will choose between Florida State, Kentucky, Kansas and North Carolina.

Unlike many prominent high school players, Wiggins will not make a televised announcement.

"He does not want to have a press conference signing," Huntington Prep coach Rob Fulford said in a text message. "He wants it private to just his classmates, family and friends."

Wiggins has often been called the best prospect since LeBron James.

Both of Wiggins' parents attended Florida State and the Seminoles are considered the favorite. Kentucky is also in the running due to Wiggins' relationship with John Calipari.

"I have no clue where he's going or leaning, so I'm not much help here," Fulford said.

IMG Academy Considering New Models For Developing 7-Footers

Wed, 08 May 2013 13:37:14 EDT

IMG Academy in Florida is attempting to develop seven foot basketball players similar to what they have done in tennis.

Two of their basketball big men are Meng Xiang Yu from China and Satnam Singh from India. Meng is 7-foot-2 and Singh is 7-foot-0, while both are 17 years old.

"What do you do with these big kids at these sizes at these young ages?" asks Nate Vander Sluis, IMG's national varsity team coach. "How do you develop them from a basketball standpoint and from a physical standpoint? Developing a 7-2 Chinese kid is not the same as trying to develop a 6-foot, 16-year-old kid. Those two muscle groups are two different things given how much growth they have already had."

Because both the AAU system and International professional leagues demand a lot of games, many big men are chronically hurt before they hit 20 or soon thereafter.

"I think it's learning from mistakes," says Dan Barto, the head skills trainer at IMG. "Think about a triathlon runner or a marathon runner. You don't go out and run 26 miles, you run 10 one day and 18 another. It's the same thing here. We are taking our time."

Wiggins Cancels Home Visits With North Carolina, Kansas, Florida State

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:22:38 EDT

Andrew Wiggins has canceled hime visits he had scheduled this week with Kansas, North Carolina and Florida State.

Wiggins is also considering committing to Kentucky.

Wiggins had 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists in Saturday's Nike Hoop Summit in Portland. Wiggins remains in Portland due to travel problems and still plans on speaking with coaches from those schools on the phone.

Wiggins Has Not Chosen A College, Dismisses Rumors

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 13:46:44 EDT

Andrew Wiggins is in no rush to choose between his final four of Florida State, Kentucky, North Carolina and Kansas.

Some outlets have reported that Wiggins is favoring Florida State.

“Anyone who says they know where I’m going is a liar,” Wiggins said this week. “I don’t know where I’m going, so they can’t know where I’m going.”

Wiggins will take the floor for his last game as a high school student on Saturday, when the World Select team takes on Team USA in the 15th edition of the Nike Hoop Summit.

Wiggins scored a team-high 20 points in leading the World team to a win in last year’s showcase and would like to repeat that performance.

“I wouldn’t want to play my last game and lose,” the 18-year-old said after practice on Thursday.

Towns, Wiggins Developing Chemistry On World Select Team

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:22:07 EDT

Karl Towns is rooming with Andrew Wiggins at the Nike Hoop Summit.

Towns and Wiggins will lead a World Select Team of international players against Team USA on Saturday in the All-Star game.

“We are having a blast,” Towns said. “We are enjoying each other, enjoying time with each other. He is so athletic and skilled on the court. It’s easy to do a pick-and-roll with him. We are going to utilize that on Saturday along with the chemistry we have. Me and him are so outgoing with each other.”

Towns is happy to share the spotlight with Wiggins, who led the World Team to an 84-75 victory over Team USA at last year’s Nike Hoop Summit.

“That has been nice. There are so many great players here. Sometimes you get used to having all the attention and being in the spotlight, but it is great to have someone here like Andrew. It’s very humbling to know he can help with anything I need. It’s nice to have a co-pilot in this big spotlight. That’s one reason I love being here at the Hoop Summit,” Towns said.

Towns knows the exhibition is a good way to make a positive impression.

“With NBA scouts here, it’s always good to start your future early and show what you can do daily,” Towns said.

Wiggins, Parker, Randle Headline 2013 All-USA High School Boys Basketball Team

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:06:04 EDT

Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, Julius Randle, Aaron Harrison and Jahil Okafor have been named to the 2013 All-USA High School Boys Basketball Team.

The Second Team is headlined by Aaron Gordon and is joined by Andrew Harrison, Dakari Johnson, Kasey Hill and Nigel Williams-Hoss.

On the Third Team is Joel Embiid, Bobby Portis Jr., Marcus Lee, Tyler Ennis and James Young.

Calipari Sold Julius Randle On Chance To Develop Against Top Players

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 21:31:33 EDT

During Julius Randle’s recruitment, John Calipari focused on his weaknesses and challenged him to want to battle against high-level competition every day.

“No other coach said that,” the sculpted 6-foot-9 Randle said.

Randle will be joined in the Kentucky frontcourt by Dakari Johnson, the top-ranked center; Marcus Lee, the second-ranked center; and James Young, a Michigan native who is the third-ranked small forward.

Randle and Johnson noted they picked Kentucky to get pushed not only in the SEC, but in practice also.

“It’s going to be a war,” Johnson said.

NBA Scout: Wiggins Would Be Top Pick If Eligible

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:06:11 EDT

The consensus is that Andrew Wiggins would be the No. 1 pick in this year's draft if he were eligible.

“I’ve heard 20 teams say they’d take him right now and start him,”  said one NBA scout, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Wiggins has been heralded as the best amateur prospect since LeBron James.

Andrew Harrison Thinks He Would Beat Michael Jordan One-On-One

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 19:06:43 EDT

Andrew Harrison was asked how he would fare against Michael Jordan in his prime.

“I think he’d get a couple buckets here and there, but then I’d start to lock him down and give him buckets,” said Harrison, a top 10 player in the class of 2013. “Yeah, I think I’d get him.”

The 6-foot-5 Harrison predicted he would win the game 11-7.

Harrison has signed to play for Kentucky next season.

Andrew Wiggins' Brother Believes Kentucky May Not Be Best Fit

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 21:19:31 EDT

Andrew Wiggins’ older brother, Nick, thinks Kentucky may not be the best fit for him.

“It’s all about combinations of players you put on the floor and how players feel about playing with each other, playing a team game," Nick Wiggins said.  “And I feel like they got a couple kids coming (back), they got seven or eight dudes that are already signed to come in off the (McDonald’s) All-America team, and I don’t feel like it would be the best fit for him to make his own legacy. But in the end, he’s going to make the best decision for him.”

Nick believes his parents want Andrew to pick Florida State.  

“I think both my parents would like him to go to Florida State University because that’s where my mom and my dad attended school so it would be pretty amazing to see him do that and I believe they would be happy with that decision,” Nick, a junior guard at Wichita State, told SNY.tv.

Andrew Wiggins Gets Better Of Matchup With Jabari Parker

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 13:40:07 EDT

Jabari Parker got a chance to size up Andrew Wiggins during the McDonald's All American game on Wednesday.

Parker blocked Wiggins’ first attempt from the perimeter, and managed to stay in front of Wiggins more often than not, but did commit five fouls in the process.

"It went pretty good," Parker said. "He is super athletic so I had to over-commit on the drive, but he can shoot so it was kind of difficult. He is a great player."

Wiggins finished with 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting and helped hold Parker to 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting.

"Going against Jabari is the best going against the best," Wiggins said. "I look forward to doing it in the future."

UNLV Receives Commitment From Dwayne Morgan

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 20:44:58 EDT

UNLV received a commitment from Dwyane Morgan, a 6-foot-7 small forward who is considered a top-30 prospect in the class of 2014.

Morgan chose the Runnin’ Rebels over finalists Maryland and Georgetown.

"Throughout my recruitment UNLV stayed the most consistent and involved," Morgan wrote on zagsblog.com. "There were about two games that they were not in attendance for this past summer.”

Morgan visited UNLV on Feb. 9 for the 64-55 victory against New Mexico.

“They like to get it down the floor and everybody on the team can pretty much shoot, and I can shoot for my size,” Morgan said in February. “That would be a perfect fit.”

Wiggins, Parker, Gordon, Randle Headline 2013 Nike Hoop Summit

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 13:15:39 EDT

The rosters for the 2013 Nike Hoop Summit have been announced.

On the USA Roster is Aaron Gordon, Aaron Harrison, Andrew Harrison, Kasey Hill, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Demetrius Jackson, Jabari Parker, Bobby Portis, Julius Randle and Noah Vonleh.

On the World Team Roster is Dennis Schroder, Nikola Ivanovic, Gabriel Deck, Dante Exum, Andrew Wiggins, Sergey Karasev, Mario Hezonja, Mouhammadou Jaiteh, Livio Jean-Charles and Karl Towns Jr.

Get Your Latest NBA News From RealGM's Basketball Wiretap

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:17:03 EDT

Get all the latest news and happenings from around the NBA with RealGM's Basketball Wiretap.