Wiggins’ offensive growth a bonus for Chanticleers

Shivaughn Wiggins says he doesn’t care about his scoring totals or piling up points. It’s simply not part of the point guard’s mentality, and on a team stacked with offensive options he doesn’t see the need to force the issue.

But as he has been reminding everyone often of late, the junior point guard is plenty capable of being that go-to option when Coastal Carolina needs it.

Wiggins dropped in a career-high 30 points Saturday in a win over Gardner-Webb two days after scoring 18 against High Point, and he’s now averaging 18 points over the last seven games and 20.5 over the last four while playing perhaps the best basketball of his collegiate career.

“What a week, what a week,” Chanticleers coach Cliff Ellis said before practice Tuesday while talking about his point guard.

In his debut with the Chants last year, Wiggins reached the 20-point plateau in only two games. He’s done it three times in the last month alone and now ranks second on the team in scoring at 12.6 points per game.

But, he reiterates, that’s not his priority on the court.

“I’ve been working on my jumpshot for a while now and it’s finally starting to pay off. [But] I don’t put emphasis on scoring,” he said. “If I get it in a spot where I can score, I’ll try to score. If not, I’ll pass it and get it to my teammates and let them do that.”

Between fellow guards Elijah Wilson (14.1 points per game) and Jaylen Shaw (11.1), forward Badou Diagne (11.6) and the Chants’ deep cast of contributors, the team isn’t lacking for options on the offensive end, but Wiggins’ growth as a shooter and scorer has added yet another dimension for the squad this season.

At 40.9 percent from 3-point range he’s been the team’s second-best perimeter shooter behind Shaw while showing significant improvement after hitting on only 34.7 percent of his 3s in fewer attempts last season.

“As I’ve said before, he’s a consummate point guard and he’s going to get other guards and people involved. But when he sees it’s not going the way it might need to go he’s going to try to take over and make a play,” Ellis said. “And he’s been able to do that. He had the best week I’ve ever seen him have offensively.”

In that 30-point performance Saturday against Gardner-Webb, Wiggins connected on 11-of-13 shots overall and 5-of-6 3-pointers while adding four assists, five rebounds and two steals.

“It was a very special moment for me. It’s probably the best game I’ve played since I’ve been in college,” he said.

But, again, that won’t change his approach going forward, he reiterated.

“If the shot [is] open take it, if not pass it,” he said simply. “I just like to make the right play, whatever’s best for the team at the time.”

This story was originally published February 17, 2016 at 7:38 PM with the headline "Wiggins’ offensive growth a bonus for Chanticleers."