Four-star forward Chauncey Wiggins forming early bond with USF
USF freshman Caleb Murphy has not played his first game for the Bulls but his mere presence on the roster is already having an impact on recruiting in Georgia.
The Bulls recently offered 6-foot-9, 195-pound forward Chauncey Wiggins of Grayson (Loganville, GA) High School, Murphy’s alma mater. The four-star prospect attended Eastside (Covington, GA) for his sophomore season but was sidelined for the final month of the season due to a foot injury. He is healthy now and playing well for the Atlanta Celtics 16U team which plays on the Adidas grassroots circuit.
BullsInsider.com recently watched one of the Atlanta Celtics games to get a scout look at Wiggins. In the game we watched against Team Curry Wiggins got off to a slow start but was more engaged and played with much more energy after halftime.
“I didn’t play as well and as hard in the first half but in the second half I played like a totally different person.”
During the long dead period, due to the pandemic, Wiggins said that he has been “trying to work on my body, get stronger and playing a lot of one-on-one” to get better.
In addition to USF, Wiggins holds offers from Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Iowa State, Kennesaw State, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri State, UAB and Vanderbilt. Another half-dozen or so programs are showing interest.
Wiggins has unofficially visited Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State and Maryland.
We asked Wiggins about a few of the programs he is hearing from.
USF: I talked to coach (Larry) Dixon and Coach (Brian) Gregory. I know Caleb Murphy committed there and he went to Grayson. The kid from Meadowcreek, Jamir Chaplin, his dad and my dad are friends. We talk a little, me and Jamir, about how college was and things like that. But I didn’t know anything about the school until the coaches talked to me.
Georgia Tech: I know they have a good history with the players that went there. I went to four of their games. They have a good coach and good coaching staff.
Mississippi State: I know Deivon Smith committed there. He just was at Grayson and he was working out with our high school team. Sometimes he would come to our AAU practice because he played with the Atlanta Celtics. So, he would scrimmage against us. My dad and the assistant coach that offered me, Korey McCray, are friends and they played in the same basketball league. They’re real good with the Celtics, they have two commits there. Andy (Andersson Garcia) from Hamilton Heights and Deivon.
Wake Forest: I know they had some good players back in the day. I’ve talked with B.J. McKie like four times already. They’ve talked to my parents. They’re maybe three hours from where I live.
We spoke with Grayson head coach Geoffrey Pierce to get his take on Wiggins.
IN HIS COACH’S WORDS
He’s super skilled. He can do a lot of things with the basketball that you typically don’t see from players his size. He’s definitely 6-foot-9. He can play and defend multiple positions. I like the way he rebounds and he’s a good outlet passer but he can also start the break with the dribble and finish at the rim. His versatility is what I’m looking forward to him adding to the team.
RUSS’ REACTION
Wiggins possesses an intriguing combination of size, skill, length and athleticism. He is a capable perimeter shot maker and is very good in the mid-post. He is a versatile defender who oozes plenty of potential. Staying dialed in and continuing to play hard when his shot isn’t falling is something Wiggins is working on. The Murphy/Grayson H.S./Atlanta Celtics connection helped open Wiggins’ mind to USF. It will be interesting to see where things go with Wiggins from here.