Andrew Wiggins’ older brother says Kentucky may not be the best fit
ATLANTA — As Wichita State guard Nick Wiggins fielded questions in the locker room on the eve of Saturday's Final Four matchup with Louisville, the subject matter quickly turned to a familiar topic.
Everyone wanted to know where his kid brother was going to attend college.
Andrew Wiggins, the Class of 2013's premier high school player, has visited Florida State, Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina. The younger Wiggins would complete one of the best recruiting classes of all time if he chose Kentucky, but his older brother isn't so sure Andrew is Lexington-bound.
"They've got a couple kids coming (back), they got seven or eight dudes that are already signed to come in off the (McDonald’s) All-America team, and I don’t feel like it would be the best fit for him to make his own legacy," Nick Wiggins said. "But in the end, he’s going to make the best decision for him."
The price of being Andrew's older brother is Nick gets asked at least two or three times a day about what school his sibling will choose. Having a younger brother who plays the same sport yet commands so much more attention can't be easy, but Nick insists he has no problem with it.
"It is never something that bothered me," he said. "I'm very proud of him. He deserves all the attention he gets. He works very hard. I'm just happy for him."
The spotlight has been on Nick a bit more the past few weeks with Wichita State making an unlikely NCAA tournament run. The Shockers upset top-seeded Gonzaga and second-seeded Ohio State in the West Region, becoming the fifth team seeded ninth or higher to advance to the Final Four.
Nick Wiggins has averaged 5.0 points in 13.1 minutes per game this season, but his role has been diminished considerably by the return of Ron Baker from a foot injury that sidelined him for two months. As a result, Nick did not play at all against Ohio State or Gonzaga and has only one basket in four NCAA tournament games.
Even if he's not getting the playing time he'd like, Nick is thrilled to be in Atlanta. His parents and older brother will be in attendance Saturday, and Andrew is hoping to be at the Georgia Dome too.
"He's very happy, very proud of me," Nick said. "We spoke about it the other day. He's happy our team is getting a lot of attention. We're blessed to reach this point."
