Kendrick Wiggins is so
fast that sometimes people have had a hard time believing it when he
runs.
For example, Wiggins was
clocked at 4.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash during a Shrine Bowl
all-star game combine in Apex last April. The time was so fast that the
coaches running the drill asked Wiggins to run the 40 again to make sure
they hadn't made an error in timing.
Wiggins turned in another
4.39 the second time around, according to his coach at Southern Durham
High, Adrian Jones.
"He did the same thing at
the Wake Forest camp later in the summer,'' Jones said. "He is usually
the fastest person on the field when we play.''
That super speed is one of
the major reasons East Carolina began pursuing Wiggins last March after
viewing highlight video from his junior season. "Reese,'' as his
teammates at Southern Durham know him, had 491 yards and five touchdowns
receiving as a junior. He also displayed his speed by compiling 212
yards on kickoff returns, one of which he took back 98 yards for a
score.
Three days after watching
video on Wiggins, ECU offered a scholarship, according to Jones. The
early attention paid off just before Christmas when Wiggins made a
verbal commitment to the Pirates.
East Carolina beat out
Wake Forest and Northwestern for Wiggins, who carries a 3.8 grade point
average. Northwestern did offer a scholarship, but the Deacons didn't
because Wiggins didn't want to make the transition to defensive back in
college, Jones said.
"They (ECU) showed him
love,'' Jones said. "They called him on a regular basis, talked and met
with his parents. He went down there for a visit and it was a good
atmosphere for him. I think he really likes what they're doing with
their program.''
And what's not to like
about ECU, especially if you're a wide receiver?
The Pirates run a spread
offense that can produce big passing statistics. But the aerial attack
was inconsistent at times this season, especially after ECU lost its top
two receivers, Jamar Bryant and Dwayne Harris.
Bryant, a junior, was
suspended indefinitely in October for violating team rules. He had made
18 straight starts and was the team's second-leading receiver when the
suspension was announced. Bryant's status for the 2009 season is still
unclear, although he has remained in school.
ECU then lost Harris, its
leading receiver, to a fractured foot in late November. Harris, a
sophomore, should be fully recovered by next season.
Those absences forced the
Pirates to turn to younger receivers like true freshman Joe Womack,
redshirt freshmen Darryl Freeney and Michael Bowman, and transfer Reyn
Willis.
Even if Bryant returns to
the team, ECU will need contributions from its incoming freshman class
to bolster the receiving corps next fall.
Jones believes the Pirates
see Wiggins as one of those who can help them in 2009.
"Their receivers coach
(Donnie Kirkpatrick) came down to a game this year and watched him,''
Jones said. "He (Kirkpatrick) went back to East Carolina saying Reese
could get playing time on the 2009 team if he comes in and works hard.''
Wiggins has been working
hard at Southern Durham since making the varsity as a freshman. He's
been a starter the last two seasons, including this year when he caught
44 passes for 659 yards and four touchdowns. Wiggins also returned 16
kickoffs for 515 yards and four more scores.
Among those kickoff
returns was a 90-yarder in the season opener against Mount Tabor that
Wiggins took back for a touchdown.
But his most spectacular
play may have come later in the season against city rival Jordan High.
"He caught a bubble screen
and there were about five or six guys around him,'' Jones said. "We
thought the play was dead. But he caught the ball, and because he was
the fastest guy on the field, he outran the angle and took it home. It
was really amazing.''
Wiggins' senior-year
performance, and his 40 times at the combine, earned him a spot on the
North Carolina squad for the annual Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas
all-star game in December.
Although several other
schools have begun inquiring about Wiggins since the Shrine Bowl, Jones
said his star is firm with the Pirates.
"He's still solid, even
though a lot of other schools are asking,'' Jones said.
Wiggins is the second wide
receiver to join the ECU Class of 2009.
New Bern's Mike Price made a
pledge to the Pirates in July.
