In the trendy and ever-evolving business that is basketball recruiting — where power equals influence, which often times equates to commitments — the ultimate powerful influential figure is one William Wesley.
Or is he?
“At least that’s the perception,” said Shawn Teague, whose son Marquis Teague is committed to Kentucky, the main school where Wesley is notorious for having influence. “He’s the guy everyone’s talking about. Especially with Kentucky’s recruiting.” MORE >
While everyone had football on the brain for yesterday’s Super Bowl Sunday, the day also featured one of NYC’s most touted high school hoops rivalries between Christ the King (Queens, N.Y.) and Rice (Harlem, N.Y.). In front of a packed house on the Middle Village campus, I made the trek from the 4 to the J to the M for what could have been the greatest high school basketball spectacle ever. MORE >
Before Will Bynum was collecting checks from the League, and Sean Dockery was doing damage at Duke, the two used to battle in their native Chicago. The other day someone unearthed footage from the 2001 reality series, “PREPS: Chicago Hoops,” which documented the life of basketball stars (including Eddy Curry) in the Chicago area. Though he’s not one of the featured players, Bynum is presented as Dockery’s main rival in the Chicago Public League - Dockery, the floor general at southside’s Julian High School, while Bynum was the PG at westside’s Crane High School. Make sure you check out all three videos.
When people talk about the NBA’s preps-to-pros success stories, they usually lead with Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady, LeBron James and Dwight Howard. Despite being one of the first to make the leap successfully — reaching six NBA All-Star Games in his career — O’Neal is often overlooked. The year after KG set the trend in motion, Jermaine and Kobe were picked in the first round of the ‘96 Draft. MORE >
As he navigates through the hectic recruiting process, HighSchoolHoop’s top-rated player, Ames High (IA) swingman Harrison Barnes has agreed to chronicle his thoughts for us during each of his five official visits. First was North Carolina, then Oklahoma; now Barnes shares his experiences from his official visit to Kansas for “Late Night in the Phog” during the weekend of Oct. 16 …
I got there Friday morning. My family and I drove and when we got to campus we met up with Coach (Danny) Manning, who took us over to meet the Dean of the school. She was a little new to the university, but she gave a great presentation. She gave us a good feel for the campus. After that, we took a little tour and saw where I would eat and some hangouts and things like that. Then we went over to Allen Fieldhouse. MORE >
Rivers' quickness makes defenders want to back up, but his shooting ability makes them have to guard him close. No player in the country hunts and finds his shot as aggressively as Rivers, who tallied more 40-point games than anybody in the country this summer. The scary part is that he's getting better and better every day.
Miller dominates all facets offensively, but his best attribute may be his ability to keep the defense off balance with his shooting ability from deep. Miller averaged 32 points during the 2010 AAU season.
Committed to Kentucky. Combines a quick first step with some of the best handles on this list to dominate opponents. Teague is a gifted scorer in a variety of different ways and involves teammates to balance his repertoire.
Committed to Texas. Kabongo may be the best leader in the senior class, and his ability to create for his teammates is exceptional. He's ultra quick and breaks down the defense with ease to finish in the lane or knock down the jump shot.
Committed to North Carolina. Solid with his back to the basket, but better at finishing plays. He's skilled enough to knock down the short jumper and has an overactive motor.
Muhammad is smooth but effective, evidenced by his 31-point average during the AAU season. His jump shot is accurate and he uses his big, strong body to absorb contact and finish in the paint.
Committed to Kentucky. Lean and quick, Davis uses his athleticism and skill to dominate in the paint. He's versatile enough to consistently knock down jump shots and has a solid handle. Davis gave opposing big men fits all summer.
The youngster ranked this high? Yes indeed! Purvis is the perfect combination of athleticism and skill and has a gear that most only dream about. His jumper has improved, and he's a lockdown defender that gets to the cup whenever he wants against whoever he wants.
Committed to Ohio State. Don't let the height fool you, Ross is quicker than most perimeter defenders and long enough to finish in the lane for high-percentage shots, yet has the ability to consistently hit outside shots. He's added a fadeaway that's almost as automatic as a layup.
