Former Olympic Gold medal great Dan Gable once said, “Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts,” and this comment can be made about 5’10 senior PG Shivaughn Wiggins of North Mecklenburg High School in Huntersville, North Carolina. Last year this time, there was another young undersized PG by the name of Reggie Arceneaux of Olympic High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. Arceneaux was a 5’9 speedy PG for one of the best 4A teams in the state. He averaged 15.6 PPG and 6.9 APG but many colleges simply didn’t recruit Arceneaux because of his physical size. That being said, he constantly played with a chip on his shoulder and didn’t allow the distracters get in his way. He played every game with passion, energy and purpose and eventually Wright State of the Horizon Conference offered the young man a scholarship. As a freshman PG for Wright State, he is averaging 28.5 minutes per game and is averaging 8.7 PPG and 2.9 APG. He is second in minutes played on the team and will be an important part of the team’s success in the next four years.
This year’s version of Reggie Arceneaux belongs to 5’10 PG Shivaughn Wiggins. We recently wrote about Wiggins in our 11-31-11 issue of the Phenom Hoop Report “Players under the radar.” Since the article on 11-31-11, not much has changed in Wiggins the basketball player. In speaking with North Mecklenburg High School Coach Duane Lewis, he stated Wiggins is averaging 25.3 PPG, 5.2 APG, and 3.1 Steals per game. North Mecklenburg is currently 18-4 and 9-3 in the tough 4A conference in Charlotte. Wiggins has a 2.7 GPA in his core classes and is fully qualified to play division one college basketball. He is currently shooting 51% from the floor while connecting on 33% of his three point attempts and is knocking in 77% of his free throws. One amazing statistic is Wiggins has shot over 300 free throws in 22 games. That is an average of 13.6 free throws per game. Coach Lewis stated, “Wiggins has tremendous speed and has the ability to get into the lane with ease and is the master of initiating contact and drawing fouls.” Coach Lewis also stated “Wiggins is by far his leader on and off the court. He is the ultimate competitor. He competes as hard in practice as he does in a game and his work ethic is as good as any kid he has coached in his coaching career at North Mecklenburg.”
Coach Lewis stated his recruitment is starting to pick up and his getting serious interest from Wofford, Jacksonville, St. Francis of Pennsylvania, Austin Peay, Tennessee State, College of Charleston, and many others. Last year, Reggie Arceneaux almost fell through the cracks and it would be a shame if schools in his home state and surrounding area do the same. As the Olympian Dan Gable stated, “Gold medals aren’t really made of gold, they are made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts,” and some lucky college team will end up with a Gold Medal in Shivaughn Wiggins.
11-31-11 Article Players Under the Radar
Player: 5’10 PG Shivaughn Wiggins
School: North Mecklenburg HS
City: Huntersville, NC
Class: 2012
Comments: Coach Duane Lewis of North Mecklenburg High School in Huntersville, North Carolina is one of the best high school basketball coaches in the state. He has produced many D1 prospects at every level and this year is no exception with his senior PG Shivaughn Wiggins. Wiggins is enjoying an outstanding start to the season. After a solid junior season where Wiggins averaged 13.3 PPG, 7.3 APG, and 3.4 steals per game, he is now playing the role of a scoring PG and a good one at that. Currently, Wiggins is averaging 25 PPG and 6.5 APG and over 3 steals per game. These statistics are outstanding for the level of competition he is playing. North Mecklenburg HS is in the 4A classification for the state of North Carolina. Wiggins plays with a confidence that is second to none. He is a fierce competitor and will not back down from a challenge. He is an excellent on the ball defender and has quick hands and feet. He has a solid foundation of team defense and anticipates nicely for steals. On the offensive end of the court, he is an outstanding ball handler. He dribbles with a low stance and has his head always up looking for the next pass to an open teammate. He has an uncanny ability to see a play one step ahead and his advanced ball handling skills makes him one difficult player to defend. He has good ball speed and quickness and utilizes the hesitation move effectively to keep defenders off balance. He changes speed extremely well and has the ability to create his own shot off the dribble. Wiggins sports a nice mid range pull up jumper and has perfected the tear drop floater in the lane. Without question, Wiggins is a PG D1 schools should take a hard long look at, especially in the North Carolina area. If not, we will be reading about another player that was “snatched” away from his own back yard. For more information, please contact Coach Duane Lewis at 704-280-9249 or email him at duane.lewis@cms.k12.nc.us.