Friday morning turned out to be huge for Iowa State basketball as top-50 2017 guard Lindell Wigginton committed to the school.
Iowa State’s 2017 recruiting class had taken a bit of a hit when one-time verbal commit KeyShawn Feazell flipped his allegiance from the Cyclones to Mississippi State.
That dropped ISU’s class far down the overall class rankings, but they recovered nicely today when 2017 top-50 guard Lindell Wigginton verbally committed to Steve Prohm and his staff in Ames.
It's official… No.49 Lindell Wigginton tells ESPN he is headed to Iowa State & play for HC Steve Prohm. #Cyclones rolling in recruiting.
— Paul Biancardi (@PaulBiancardi) October 21, 2016
This moved Iowa State from 48th to 15th in the overall 247sports class rankings. They are now the second best class in the Big 12 behind Texas. Wigginton joins fellow verbals Darius McNeill of Houston and Terrence Lewis of Milwaukee.
There is a lot to unpack with this commitment.
Wigginton is currently rated as the 49th best player on ESPN and 53rd on 247. He is the 12th best point guard nationally and the 3rd best player overall in Virginia, coming out of the prestigious Oak Hill Academy.
He is the highest rated recruit that Iowa State has landed since Matt Thomas in the class of 2013.
The 6’1″, 175 pound guard fills an immediate need for the Cyclones, who will have just one true point guard listed on scholarship after Monte Morris graduates following this season. Wigginton has a very good chance to start as a freshman and help guide a young Cyclone squad.
A couple interesting things to ponder with Wigginton’s commitment. He is actually from Canada, so ISU continues to pull recruits out of the Great White North with regularity. Former Cyclones Jamie Vanderbeken and Melvin Ejim came from Canada, as well as current ISU sniper Naz Mitrou-Long.
Coach Prohm also grabbed the future freshman away from Oregon and Dana Altman. The Ducks may be a better program at this point, but Wigginton would’ve had several other point guards to battle with in Eugene. Prohm also likely sold the top-50 prospect on his history of getting lead guards to the NBA (Isaiah Canaan and Cameron Payne).
Three scholarships are still open for Iowa State. The next most likely target is 6’8″, 285 pound F/C Isaiah Stokes of Tennessee. The Volunteers are the primary contender, but TCU, Florida and Memphis are all trying to sneak in late. Consider UT the favorite with ISU right behind them for now.
If the Cyclones get Stokes, though, it would give the team its best recruiting class in a long time. ISU will then likely fill out the roster with transfers, as it is the tradition of the program. Even if the school misses on Stokes, the current class indicates the staff’s dedication and ability to attract high-level talent to a program with a passionate fanbase.
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