Andrew Wiggins continues rise on EYBL circuit

Andrew Wiggins has used the first two weekends of Nike's Elite Youth Basketball League to fuel talk of him being the best high school basketball prospect regardless of class.

The Canadian product is among the Nike circuit's leading scorers and rebounders at 17.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. CIA Bounce – a team comprised primarily of standouts from the province of Ontario – is the only unbeaten team remaining in EYBL play at 9-0.

"He's a great teammate, first of all," CIA Bounce head coach Tony McIntyre said of the 6-foot-8 small forward. "He doesn't focus on numbers or stats, he just plays basketball and tries to fit in."

Wiggins, a rising junior at Huntington Prep (W.Va.), joins talented guards Tyler Ennis and Xavier Rathan-Mayes to give CIA Bounce what McIntyre calls their "three-headed monster."

Wiggins' most impressive outing last weekend in Hampton, Va., came against New York-based Albany City Rocks, a team that went 4-0 during the opening weekend of play in Minneapolis. Wiggins produced 24 points (10 of 15 from the field), seven rebounds, three steals and a pair of assists.

Ennis contributed 22 points and three assists while Rathan-Mayes – a teammate of Wiggins at Huntington Prep – added 13 as the Canadian club clobbered City Rocks by 22.

"No one can really double-team Andrew because that opens things up for Tyler and Xavier," McIntyre said.

Wiggins was named MaxPreps.com's National Sophomore of the Year following the 2011-12 season, averaging 23.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game for head coach Rob Fulford at Huntington Prep. He already has an extensive international resume that will grow later this summer when he plays for Canada in the FIBA U17 World Championship in Lithuania.

"He is still a kid, but very mature at the same time and he loves basketball," McIntyre said. "He's not caught up in the (player) rankings). He has a dream to play in the NBA and he knows he has work to do to make that happen."

Wiggins' father, Mitchell, played at Florida State and professionally in the NBA, USBL, CBA, Italy, Greece and France. The Seminoles are firmly in the picture for Andrew, but expect Kentucky to be tough to beat in his recruitment.

Lee among April live period risers

The opening weekend of Nike EYBL play was a game changer in recruitment of the 6-foot-9 rising senior Marcus Lee of Deer Valley (Antioch, Calif.) and California Supreme.

In Minneapolis, Lee averaged 9.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game to help California Supreme go 4-0. He also swatted eight shots and impacted games beyond the numbers would suggest with his activity and length.

"Take your pick of the best programs in the nation and that's who I'm hearing from," California Supreme head coach Miles Simon said.

Duke, Florida, Indiana and Kansas were among the powers to offer Lee after his trip to Minnesota.

"I'm not surprised at all," Simon said of Lee's new suitors. "He's tall, long and athletic – he's what everybody wants right now."

Foster has Larry Brown's eye

Among Larry Brown's early targets in his new job at Southern Methodist is Hirschi (Wichita Falls, Texas) and Dallas Mustangs guard Marcus Foster.

The 6-3, 195-pound guard has been incredibly productive over the past two seasons in the Texas Class 3A ranks, piling up 24.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.6 steals per game as a junior at Hirschi. He averaged over 16 points per outing as a sophomore.

He hasn't received much media attention, but he isn't exactly flying under the radar with offers from Arizona State, California, Creighton and aforementioned SMU and its high-profile new head coach.

Foster had the opportunity to speak to Brown, the only coach in basketball history to win titles at the college and NBA level.

"I was kind of shocked," Foster said of his conversation with Brown. "To be able to talk to a Hall of Fame coach and he is recruiting me, it was cool."

Baylor, Kansas State, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas are also expressing interest in Foster, who turned in an all-tournament performance last weekend at the Great American Shootout in Duncanville.

Butler, Stanford join race for Shamsid-Deen

Tahj Shamsid-Deen of Columbia (Decatur, Ga.) and Southern Stampede followed a very solid showing in Minneapolis with an even better one in Hampton, Va., averaging 16.4 points and 4.8 assists per game.

Forget about the fact that he is 5-8-ish, Shamsid-Deen is a difference-maker.

"I'm probably biased, but I think he is one of the top five guards in the nation," Southern Stampede head coach Aljami Durham said. "Every year he goes out and proves himself and people keep saying, 'He won't be able to do the same thing next year.' He continues to do it and will probably have to do it again in college."

Shamsid-Deen has recently added offers from Butler and Stanford. Auburn, Northwestern and UCLA were among his early offers and Arizona, Kentucky, Purdue and Wake Forest are calling.