Andrew Wiggins, the top high school basketball recruit in the world, has announced he will be playing for the Kansas Jayhawks next season, and despite his stature announced the decision in as low-key a way possible--a simple fax.
Kansas coach Bill Self, the lucky winner of the Wiggins sweepstakes said, "Andrew did this the exact way he said he was going to. He played his cards very close to his vest as did his mother and father. I knew we were one of four. The competition was very stiff and we were fortunate that we were able to ink him today. He's a tremendous talent and a terrific kid."
Wiggins was reportedly choosing between Kansas, Florida State, Kentucky, and the University of North Carolina, with the latter two appearing to be frontrunners. When asked why he chose Kansas, Wiggins said, "I just followed my heart."
The lack of pomp and circumstance surrounding his decision was very surprising in a landscape where recruits hold televised press conferences on ESPN and dramatically reveal their decisions. "I didn't really want to open it up to the public," Wiggins said. "I knew it would be jam packed in here. I wanted people who appreciated me and people I appreciate to be here watching me. I wanted a lot of people I knew."
Now that the process is over, Wiggins indicated he felt relieved to be focusing on basketball and school alone now. "This is the way I like it to be done -- on my own time," he said. "I've got a weight lifted off my shoulders. I can relax now."
The attention on Wiggins will not go anywhere, however. His high school coach Rob Fulford said the star recruit will need to acclimate himself to constant scrutiny. "I think it's something he's going to have to adjust to," Fulford said. "From this point on, it'll be more about his game. Everything that's been talked about or written about up to now have been 15 percent game and 85 percent 'where you going?' He hated the recruiting conversations and he shied away from most media attention because of that."
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