UNC Basketball Recruiting: Andrew Wiggins to the Tar Heels Fantasy or Real Possibility?

Now that Jabari Parker has committed his soul to the Blue Devils the urgency for the Tar Heels to get Andrew Wiggins is at an all time high.

Although most observers have dubbed it a foregone conclusion that Wiggins will end up at either Kentucky or Florida State I’ve chosen to listen to what Wiggins and his high school coach have said all along that it his recruitment is wide open.  In my eyes, the fact that Wiggins wanted things opened up and for more programs to more aggressively recruit him speaks volumes about the fact that he is not sold on either of those programs as favorites for his services.

His coach admitted that after Kentucky secured commitments from the Harrison twins and James Young, Andrew wondered how he would fit in, in Lexington.  And personally I don’t care much for the family connection at FSU, something just tells me this kid wants to make his path. For those reasons and the way the Tar Heels have recruited Wiggins tells me that UNC is real possibility.  I actually think the way UNC is playing right now bodes well for their chances.  Think about it, how many times have you said to yourself this season, man this team really could use a player like Andrew Wiggins right now?

The team lacks exactly what Wiggins brings, a perimeter player that can dominate the basketball, create his own offense in the half court and score in bunches, a guy who can help this team bring it all together offensively and help them create an identity they so badly need.  I am a strong believe that Wiggins is the best prep player since LeBron James and I firmly believe if he were on the roster this season we wouldn’t be talking about how badly they are struggling and we wouldn’t have so many embarrassing performances to dissect.

Despite what many may think, Roy Williams is one of the greatest recruiters of all time in college basketball, that’s just a fact for those who have paid attention throughout the years.  Another fact about Roy is he typically doesn’t waste his time with players the program doesn’t have a legitimate shot at bringing in.  Sure he misses on prospects just like any other coach but you also don’t see the type of attention he and the program are giving to Wiggins on players who have their minds made up to go elsewhere either.

As soon as Roy was able to travel he flew in to see Wiggins work out and visit with him and his coaches.  He’s been to see him play at least two other times since then and assistant coach C.B. McGrath was in Orlando, Florida scouting the City of Palms Classic which featured Wiggins on Thursday.  Wiggins will also visit Chapel Hill in the spring when the weather breaks for his visit to Carolina.

For those who haven’t followed his recruitment close like I have it’s easy to point to the fact that UK and FSU have been in on it a little longer but that’s just not the case.  This summer his coach told the press that Wiggins had an offer from UNC for over a year and that UNC was one of three programs he heard from, since he’s opened things up and publicly expressed a desire to be more actively recruited by programs other than the public consensus top two the Heels have increased their efforts but make no mistake, this team isn’t late to the party by any means, they’ve been lurking in the background the whole time.

No, I don’t think UNC is the favorite, but that’s only because I believe Andrew Wiggins when he says that there is no favorite.  I simply like the Tar Heels chances when they bring the young man in for a visit this spring.