The last time a basketball prospect in Canada received this much early hype, he ended up with a one-way ticket back to Europe. Hopefully things work out a little better for Andrew Wiggins.



"The NBA wants Ivan Chiriaev. The NBA needs Ivan Chiriaev."



With that infamous quote, the 7-foot-1, self-promoting Russian import playing at St. Thomas Aquinas in Ontario earned a spot in Canadian hoops lore.

While that was the most memorable Chiriaev quote, it wasn't the only one:



- "I like Kevin Garnett a lot, but everybody is telling me I'm like Dirk Nowitzki, that we are similar. But I think I can be better than Nowitzki . . . I think that because I can play all five positions."

- "If I'm not in the top-three, I'm going to college." (This was in response to a question about choosing college over the pros.)

- "Point guard. Definitely point guard." (In response to a question about which position he feels most comfortable at.)