Playing in his last game ever as a high school student. Andrew Wiggins came up a winner.
The 6-foot-7 senior from Huntington (W.V.) Prep went for 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists as the World Team defeated the USA team, 112-98, in Portland, Ore.
Wiggins went for 20 points and seven rebounds a year ago when the World beat the USA, 84-75.
Livio Jean-Charles, a 6-9 Frenchman, led the World Team with 27 points and 13 rebounds. German point guard Dennis Schroder added 18 points and six assists.
The USA had never lost consecutive games to the World Team before.
“It means a lot, it’s never been done and it means even more because I have a Canadian coach with me … so it’s a special thing we can cherish and it’s a special opportunity to be here and play against the best,” Wiggins, who is expected to play with Canada at the U-20 World Championships this summer, told Michael Grange of sportsnet.ca.
“It’s great to make Canada proud. They support me through my ups and downs. They’re always going to be there and never turn their back on me.”
For the U.S., Duke-bound forward Jabari Parker went for 22 point and seven rebounds, Kentucky-bound forward Julius Randle had 19 points and eight boards and Arizona-bound Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had 17 points.
Now that his prep playing career is over, Wiggins gets a few days off before he will turn his attention to his college plans.
“I’m looking forward to shutting down for a couple of days, getting some rest, getting some ‘me’ time and just chilling with my friends and cherish the last few days I have of summer before it all gets crazy,” he told Grange. “I’ve been travelling for like three weeks straight so I’m just looking forward to being able to relax and watch TV for hours for hours and lay in my bed for hours and just be me.”
Wiggins meets this week with three coaches who would love to coach him next season — North Carolina’s Roy Williams (Monday), Kansas’ Bill Self (Tuesday) and Florida State’s Leonard Hamilton (Wednesday).
Kentucky — which already has eight commits, including six McDonald’s and Jordan Brand All-Americans — is also on Wiggins’ list.
“Anyone who says they know where I’m going is a liar,” Wiggins told Grange in this excellent column from Portland. “I don’t know where I’m going, so they can’t know where I’m going.”
He is projected as the No. 1 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, but still has work to do on his game
“There’s no doubt he’s the No.1 athlete,” one NBA executive told Grange. “But he may not be the No.1 player.”
Said Wiggins: “Playing against the best I get to see what they do that makes them elite. Some are better than me at different things, some are better shooters, some are better dribblers. I’m just trying to learn from my opponents so I can be better at different things and be a better player at all different aspects of the game.”
**For more stories on Andrew Wiggins, click here.
Photo: Sportsnet.ca
