Wigginton gets closer to dream of being 1st Nova Scotian to play in NBA
Dartmouth teen selected to play in 2017 Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Ore.
Dartmouth's Lindell Wigginton is getting closer to his dream of playing in the National Basketball Association after being selected to play in the 2017 Nike Hoop Summit.
The event, which draws dozens of NBA scouts, will be held in Portland, Ore., next month and the 18-year-old has been selected as one of only 12 players named to the World Team roster.
"It's going to be exciting playing against the best players in the world," said Wigginton. "Just getting to see some different faces and different languages, it's going to be great because I'll make some friendships that will last a lifetime."
'I've got to show them what I've got'
The World Team is made up of top players 19 years old and younger from outside of the United States. They will play against the best high school players from the U.S. in a televised game watched by thousands of fans and NBA scouts.
"It's going to be a good experience for me with NBA personnel watching me and I've got to be on notice," Wigginton said. "I've got to show them what I've got."
Wigginton is on school break and back home in Dartmouth this week.
He's had a busy season playing with Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., where the Warriors are perennially among the top prep school teams in the United States.
Iowa State University next year
Several graduates from the school have gone on to play in the NBA, including current all-stars Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony.
Wigginton is on track to become the first Nova Scotian to play in the NBA, scoring more than 20 points a game this season with Oak Hill.
He has all the tools to take the game to the next level including a solid three-point shot, an excellent passing game and he's a great jumper who can play above the rim.
Currently, there are 12 Canadian players in the NBA, including all-star Andrew Wiggins of Vaughan, Ont., the Number 1 pick in the 2014 draft.
"I feel anything is possible and I feel whatever I set my mind to, then I can do it," said Wigginton.
The highly coveted Wigginton, a 6-2" guard, announced earlier this season his commitment to attend Iowa State University next year.
Led school to national championship
One year ago, Wigginton scored a crucial three-point play in overtime to lead Oak Hill to the national championship in a game played at New York's Madison Square Garden and broadcast on American sports channel ESPN.
He played one year of high school basketball in Nova Scotia at Prince Andrew in Dartmouth before taking his game to the U.S.
While his home is in Dartmouth, his mother grew up in Halifax's Uniacke Square and his father in the community of North Preston, both basketball hotbeds.
"When he really gets to his full potential, and with God's help makes the NBA, it's going to be a game changer for the communities that he represents," said Colter Simmonds, one of Wigginton's former coaches.