Weekend preview: Spotlight on Wiggins
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The weekend is here and Rivals.com will be attending two major high school
basketball events. National basketball analyst Eric Bossi is headed to Chicago
for the Chicago Elite Classic while contributor Corey Albertson will be in
Benton, Kentucky for the Marshall County Hoopfest. Here's a look at a few of the
storylines that we'll be watching.
What's up with
Wiggins?
At the Marshall County Hoopfest we'll get two opportunities to watch Huntington
(W.V.) Prep against very good high school competition from the Memphis area.
on Friday and on Saturday they'll tussle with Memphis bound
Austin Nichols and Briarcrst Christian.
Those games should provide a great setting for our first look at
Andrew Wiggins, the No. 1 player in 2013, since he made the move from the class of
2014. We know what type of athlete he is and we know what type of potential he
has. Now, we're interested to see how his ball handling and jump shot are coming
along. Also, Wiggins is supposed to be visiting Florida State soon and
we'll be looking to get more detail on when to expect the visit.
Is Okafor ready
to handle the No. 1 spot?
When Wiggins made the move to 2013, Jahlil Okafor of Chicago (Ill.)
Whitney Young moved into the No. 1 spot in the class of 2014. Now, it's time to
see how much of a lock the big man from the Windy City has on that spot because
he's going to be tested playing against four-star senior and N.C. State
pledge BeeJay Anya of Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha.
A true back-to-the-basket post man who is pushing 6-foot-11, Okafor is a rarity
in today's high school game. He's a big guy with great hands, good feet and soft
touch that you can throw the ball to and know with confidence that he can get a
bucket. He rebounds, he runs the floor much better than given credit for and he
plays with a high basketball IQ. Hopefully he's getting the touches he should in
the paint so we can see how the development of his off hand and faceup game from
about 10 feet are coming along.
Can Bates-Diop
close the gap?
Based on our current rankings, recent Ohio State commitment
Keita Bates-Diop is the No. 20 player in the class of 2014. In the state of
Illinois that puts him behind the above mentioned Okafor and
Cliff Alexander, who checks in at No. 4 nationally.
Much of Bates-Diop's ranking has to do with the furious run of improvement that
he had to close the summer. The small forward went from good prospect to highly
productive player on both ends of the floor and it will be interesting to see
how that improvement has continued. Word out of Illinois is that Bates-Diop has
grown to 6-foot-8 and continued to improve his perimeter game. So, the question
is whether or not he can close the gap on Okafor and Alexander.
Speaking of Alexander, he'll be taking the floor at Marshall County Friday night
(Baates-Diop and Okafor are playing in Chicago) and he's also someone that we'll
be watching closely. The 6-foot-9 big man from Chicago (Ill.) Curie burst onto
the national scene in a big way because of his physicality, athleticism and
ability to score and rebound in traffic. Now, it's time to see if his skill
package has caught up with his physical gifts. His peers are starting to catch
up on him physically as they mature so it's important that he develop other
aspects of his game and become more of a threat from between six and 12 feet.
Plenty of other
talent to choose from
Both the Chicago Elite Classic and Marshall County Hoopfest have plenty of
talent in addition to the guys we've highlighted. At Marshall County we'll also
Derek Willis. Oak Hill will
be on hand with four-stars
Nate Britt and
Ikenna Iroegbu and we'll also get a look at
Memphis (Tenn.) Southwind's four-star seniors Johnathan Williams III
and Jajuan Johnson.
In Chicago, we are not likely to see the nation's No. 3 senior
Jabari Parker. The 6-foot-8 forward is still recovering from a foot injury but his
Chicago (Ill.) Simeon squad is still stacked and headlined by Illinois
signee Kendrick Nunn. 2014 five-star Stanley Johnson will be
on hand with Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei and SMU bound senior
Sterling Brown will be tested by the high scoring BYU bound
trio of Eric Mika,
Nick Emery and T.J. Haws.
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