After months of work on the recruiting trail, Steve Prohm and his staff have pulled in their big fish. Four-star point guard Lindell Wigginton announced on Friday morning that he has committed to Iowa State.
Wigginton, a 6-foot-1-inch Oak Hill Academy product, is rated as the No. 53 player in the class of 2017 by 247 Composite. He’s the No. 12 point guard and No. 3 player in Virginia.
He picked the Cyclones over two other finalists, Oregon and Arizona State. The prevailing thought going into Thursday was that the Ducks had the lead to land the native Canadian.
In the end, it was Wigginton’s comfortability with Prohm and assistant Neill Berry that made the difference.
“They made him a priority, he knew that,” Steve Smith, Wigginton’s head coach at Oak Hill, said. “He felt like it was a family there and that’s what he has here at Oak Hill. I think he wanted to continue that with his college choice. He felt really comfortable with the coaches there and where he’s going to fit in. I think they have a need for him at the point position so they kind of had everything that he was looking for.”
Wigginton visited Ames during the weekend of Sept. 23.
There’s no doubting Wigginton was one of the staff’s top priorities since at least the summer. Iowa State sent someone to visit Wigginton at Oak Hill almost every week since early-September, including a visit from Prohm and Berry earlier this week that some behind-the-scenes have said turned the tide the Cyclones’ way.
“Those two were here as much as anybody or probably more than anybody else,” Smith said. “They made him feel like a priority. They were here like every week. Every time they could legally be here, they were here. He knew how bad they wanted him. I think that hit home with him. His family really felt comfortable there, his Mom and Dad on the visit. It just kind of was the perfect marriage. Hopefully, it will stay that way for the next few years.”
Wigginton is the next piece in the puzzle of Iowa State’s 2017 recruiting that also includes Wisconsin forward Terrence Lewis and Texas guard Darius McNeill. He’ll likely step into an immediate role as a contributor with Donovan Jackson slated to be the only returning point guard on the Cyclones’ roster in 2017-18.
Wigginton brings a good mix of scoring and playmaking to the table for the Cyclones. He’s a smooth and explosive athlete, but is very good with the ball in his hands and create shots for himself and others.
“What I like about Lindell is that he’s a two-way guy,” Smith said. “He plays both ends of the court. He’s a great defender on the ball, off the ball. He likes to play defense. Offensively, he’s really improved his game in the last year or a half or so. He can play either guard spot. He’s more of a point guard, but he can play two-guard. He can score the ball. He’s got 3-point range. Great pull-up game, get to the lane, get to the basket, he’s got the whole package on offense. He’s strong. He’s 6-2 but he’s really strong. He’s worked hard in the weight room since he’s been here and it’s his third year with us. He’s physically ready to play as a freshman and a lot of kids are not.”
