Two of the most hyped and talented freshman in the loaded 2014 class made their college basketball debuts on Friday night, and neither disappointed.
But it was all a precursor to Tuesday Nov. 12, when Duke and Kansas meet at Cameron Indoor Stadium and Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins square off.
Already compared to LeBron James and Michael Jordan, Kansas guard Wiggins filled the box score with 16 points, two threes, and three steals, leading the Jayhawks to an 80-63 victory over Louisiana Monroe.
Duke’s Parker was equally impressive, knocking down all three of his attempts from beyond the arc for 22 points, and added six rebounds, two assists, and a block as the Blue Devils blew past Davidson 111-77.
Perhaps a sign of things to come, both super 6-foot-8 freshmen scored the first buckets of their respective games, and had the green light to shoot from coaches Bill Self and Mike Krzyzewski.
Parker and Wiggins also displayed the polish and poise of players well beyond their years. Wiggins flashed his patented spin move and finished the play with a floater for the Jayhawks first points. Later he dished to the open man for a 3-pointer, spotted up for his own Jay, and drove to the basket for a finger roll.
Chicago native Parker showed the range on his jump shot all over the court, along with a smooth turnaround jumper from the paint. Parker later rose above the defense for a two-handed alley oop slam.
Wiggins and Parker, near locks to be top five overall selections in next year’s NBA Draft should they decide to leave the comforts of Lawrence and Durham, will face a kind of pressure James and Jordan never did.
The Miami Heat superstar jumped right to the pros, and while the fanfare and media attention reached extremely high levels, James didn’t have to worry about the dangers of social media as much as Wiggins and Parker. As for Jordan, the Internet hadn’t taken off until after he officially retired from basketball.
VIDEO: Andrew Wiggins And Jabari Parker, Future NBA Stars, Debut Prior To Kansas Jayhawks - Duke Blue Devils Game [College Basketball Highlights]
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