With Toronto’s C.I.A Bounce leading 50-49 with less than 10 seconds on the clock, Andrew Wiggins was whistled for a questionable foul on a late baseline closeout that sent Jabari Bird to the free-throw line for three shots with 1.9 seconds remaining.
Bird missed the first and buried the last two to give the Oakland Soldiers a 51-50 victory over CIA Bounce and the U17 2012 Nike EYBL Championships.
Andrew Wiggins scored 23 points and grabbed 9 rebounds, including 9-from-10 from the foul-line. Point guard Tyler Ennis added 9 points and six rebounds, while Denzel Taylor chipped in with 6 points and 8 rebounds in the losing effort.
Aaron Gordon (6’7 SF, Class 2013) was the top scorer for the Oakland Soldiers with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Stanley Johnson also reached double-figures with 15 points.
Gordon also made his presence felt on the defensive end by limiting Xavier Rathan-Mayes to 2-of-11 shooting and only 5 points.
The heart breaking defeat caps off an amazing summer for Wiggins and the CIA Bounce U17 team which has stapled itself as the best AAU Basketball program in Canada.
Bounce came into the Finals at Peach Jam sporting a league best 17-3 record and made their run to the championship game by going 4-1 in Pool C action and cruising past two more opponents to reach the championship game.
For Wiggins there’s nothing left to prove, over the past two months the now 17-year-old Canadian basketball phenom has left little to no doubt as to who is the top basketball player in the world and in the class of 2013/2014.
From his MVP performance at the 2012 Nike Hoop Summit to Lebron James certifying him as the best player at his own Camp. Wiggins’ name continued to roll off peoples tongues as if he was already a certified household NBA name.
Up next for Wiggins will be a decision to reclassify to the class of 2013, a process which should speed-up his NCAA announcement and make him eligible for the 2014 NBA Draft.
