Huntington Prep F Andrew Wiggins, the nation’s No. 1 high school basketball prospect, yesterday committed to the Univ. of Kansas, but ESPN recruiting analyst Dave Telep said Wiggins and the school had a “conversation about the sneaker affiliation” the Jayhawks have prior to the announcement. Telep appeared on Charlotte’s WFNZ-AM yesterday and noted Kansas is sponsored by adidas, while Wiggins has played for a Nike-sponsored AAU team and attended Nike basketball camps. Telep said a Nike rep several weeks ago told him Wiggins was “starting to ask how much adidas stuff he has to wear.” Telep: “I think he was told he can wear it during the game, and the Nike stuff he can wear the rest of the time around campus. It's always a conversation that has to be had.” Wiggins is largely considered a one-and-done player, and Telep noted he likely will “sign a sneaker deal sometime within the next 12 months.” Telep: “It's a conversation that every school has to have with the kid on some level. In the case of Kansas, I know they had to have the conversation about the sneaker affiliation. Clearly, it turned out it wasn't a deal-breaker but it had to be addressed." Wiggins also was considering Florida State, Kentucky and North Carolina, all Nike schools (“The Drive,” WFNZ-AM, 5/14).
