April 2013 Basketball Wiretap

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

May 16, 2013 11:37 AM

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.

ESPN

Tags: Tyus Jones, High School, NCAA

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Andrew Wiggins To Make College Decision On Tuesday

May 13, 2013 12:34 PM

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.

Ben Roberts/Herald-Leader

Tags: Andrew Wiggins, North Carolina Tar Heels, Florida State Seminoles, Kansas Jayhawks, Kentucky Wildcats, High School, NCAA, NCAA Recruiting

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IMG Academy Considering New Models For Developing 7-Footers

May 8, 2013 1:37 PM

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."

Les Carpenter/Yahoo! Sports

Tags: High School, NCAA, NBA

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