Breaking down Bill Self's latest haul following Tuesday's addition of No. 1 Class of 2013 prospect Andrew Wiggins.
Andrew Wiggins tries to get one past Joel Embiid in a competitive moment between future Kansas teammates at the Jordan Brand Classic.
Photo by Danny Wild
Kansas is still looking up at Kentucky in
247Sports.com's latest Class of 2013 team recruiting rankings, but that won't temper the enthusiasm for Tuesday's big news coming out of Lawrence.
The addition of top prospect
Andrew Wiggins transforms the Jayhawk roster from one with more questions than answers to one that suddenly looks capable of big things.
"I think Wiggins single-handedly vaults Kansas from a fringe top-25 team to a legitimate Final Four threat," CBSSports.com college basketball blogger Jeff Borzello told MaxPreps. "He's going to be a preseason All-American and possibly National Player of the Year. He will be the go-to guy immediately and could approach 18-20 points per game."
Kansas head coach Bill Self has landed highly-touted recruits like Darrell Arthur, Mario Chalmers, Xavier Henry and Josh Selby during his time in Lawrence, but acknowledged Tuesday that the signing of Wiggins is special.
"He brings athleticism, length, scoring ability and he's also an assassin, an alpha dog and we definitely need that when you have a whole bunch of young kids," Self said via the school's official athletic site. "I think he's going to be not just a good player, but have the chance to be a great one."
Self and the Jayhawks must replace all five starters from a team that went 31-6 and reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. NBADraft.net projected No. 1 draft pick Ben McLemore was among the departures along with standout center Jeff Withey and perimeter players Elijah Johnson and Travis Releford.
Rebuilding isn't part of the gameplan at KU under Self, however. The Jayhawks have won or shared the Big 12 regular season title nine years in a row.
"With Wiggins in the fold, it's hard not to be really optimistic about the Jayhawks," Borzello said. "They now have their go-to guy and offensive focal point. It takes the pressure off Naadir Tharpe and Perry Ellis – those guys can now take the next step and take on bigger roles at a different pace."
Wiggins joins an already-strong contingent of signees that includes 6-foot-11 center
Joel Embiid, elite wings
Wayne Selden and
Brannen Greene and talented guards
Conner Frankamp and
Frank Mason.
"We had an unbelievable class when we signed Brandon (Rush), Mario (Chalmers), Julian (Wright) and Micah Downs (2005-06); that's a big-time class," Self said. "This one has more upside. Andrew (Wiggins) has a chance to be the first pick in the draft. Joel Embiid goes from being an unranked player to being the top center prospect in the class. He's raw but so gifted physically. Wayne Selden is a McDonald's All-American and top-15 guy.
"Everybody knows about those three, but they are sleeping on are the other three."
Duke, Arizona and LSU round out the top five of 247Sports.com's Class of 2013 team recruiting rankings.
Click through for a complete breakdown of the 2013 Kansas recruiting class{PAGEBREAK}
Is this the face of college basketball in 2013-14?
Photo by Danny Wild
6-foot-8, 200 pounds
Position: Small forward
247Sports rank: No. 1 overall, No. 1 small forward
2012-13 highlights: Named Naismith National Player of the Year after averaging 23.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.6 blocked shots and 2.5 assists per game.
What to expect in Lawrence: A short and exciting stay. Could unseat Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart as Big 12 Conference player of the year and wouldn't be shocking to see him contend for national POY honors as well.{PAGEBREAK}
Wayne Selden was a teammate of Nerlens Noel at Tilton School in New Hampshire.
Photo by Jim Redman
6-foot-5, 225 pounds
Position: Shooting guard, small forward
247Sports rank: No. 12 overall, No. 2 shooting guard
2012-13 highlights: Earned NEPSAC Class AA Player of the Year honors. Also a standout on the summer scene with the storied Boston Amateur Basketball Club.
What to expect in Lawrence: College-ready build and experience in the talent-rich prep school ranks should make Selden an instant contributor for the Jayhawks. Don't be surprised to see some big scoring outings next year, but a consistent starring role for KU is a couple of years down the road.{PAGEBREAK}
A native of Cameroon, Joel Embiid waits to be introduced to the crowd at Barclays Center as part of the Jordan Brand Classic.
Photo by Danny Wild
6-foot-11, 235 pounds
Position: Center
247Sports rank: No. 13 overall, No. 2 center
2012-13 highlights: Helped The Rock go 31-4 (including a win over Andrew Wiggins and Huntington Prep), win the Sunshine Independent Athletic Association tournament and earn No. 10 Academy Top 10 national ranking from MaxPreps.
What to expect in Lawrence: The Jayhawks need help down low and Embiid will be given every opportunity to fill that void. The Cameroon native wasn't a big scorer at The Rock and that probably won't change next year, but can still impact games defensively.{PAGEBREAK}
Brannen Greene should be able to help the Jayhawks at several positions next season.
Photo by Jim Redman
6-foot-7, 200 pounds
Position: Small forward, point forward
247Sports rank: No. 27 overall, No. 7 shooting guard
2012-13 highlights: Put up 27 points, seven rebounds and five assists per game for 26-5 Blue Devils.
What to expect in Lawrence: Playing at Tift County and with club teams Florida Rams and Nashville Celtics, Greene is accustomed to being surrounded by talent. He could wind up becoming Bill Self's Swiss Army Knife next season, playing the two, three and perhaps even four spot in a small lineup.{PAGEBREAK}
Wichita guard Conner Frankamp can fill it up or facilitate depending on KU's needs.
Photo by Kendall Shaw
6-foot-1, 165 pounds
Position: Point guard, shooting guard
247Sports rank: No. 43 overall, No. 12 shooting guard
2012-13 highlights: Averaged 31.1 points and 3.8 assists per game for 20-3 Redskins. Topped the 40-point mark five times and hit just a tick under 50 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.
What to expect in Lawrence: Frankamp could wind up having the biggest long-term impact of any of KU's 2013 signees. He's a deadly shooter who doubles as a steady facilitator at the point guard spot. The Wichita star proved he can excel at the highest level, leading the United States in scoring at last summer's FIBA U17 World Championship.{PAGEBREAK}
Frank Mason starred at Petersburg High School in Virginia before spending a post-graduate year at Massanutten Military Academy.
Photo by Paul Stockman
5-foot-11, 180 pounds
Position: Point guard, shooting guard
247Sports rank: No. 53 overall, No. 11 point guard
2012-13 highlights: Averaged over 20 points per game and led Petersburg to state championship game two seasons ago but went overlooked by college basketball's major conference programs. Boosted stock over summer and during post-graduate year at Massanutten, where he helped the Colonels go 30-3.
What to expect in Lawrence: Mason will compete with Naadir Tharpe and Frankamp for playing time next season, meaning he will have to be patient to make his mark. Should develop into a solid contributor and long-distance threat as a junior and senior.
