Words. dimemag

As August came to a close, we hit up the Boost Mobile Elite 24 and all of the events that came with it during the week heading into the game (see all of our coverage HERE).

For the second consecutive year, the athletes competing in the Elite 24 event got to see, feel and experience just what it takes to make it to the next level when they went through a performance training workout and combine drills with Under Armour TNP Performance Training Council member (and strength and conditioning coach for the Denver Nuggets) Steve Hess at Sports Club L.A. on the Upper East Side of Manhattan the day before the Elite 24 game. The following breakdown, photos and video show exactly what kind of next-level workout Hess put high school basketball’s best athletes through in order to let them know how hard they would have to work to take their game to an elite level. It was the same type of conditioning work that Hess puts Carmelo Anthony and the rest of the Nuggets through on a daily basis. MORE >

Words. Jason Jordan

Bishop O’Connell High (Va.) point guard Kendall Marshall has played in some of the most hostile environments that the prep basketball scene has to offer.

He’s been called names, threatened, yelled at and even had things thrown at him. Add in the fact that Marshall, a rising senior, is already committed to North Carolina and the scrutiny only intensifies.

“People have their own ideas about how a ‘North Carolina recruit’ should be playing,” says Marshall. Still, without having ever played there before, Marshall is quick to point out that “playing at Rucker Park won’t be like anything that I’ve ever experienced.” MORE >

Words. Jason Jordan

Atlantic Shores Christian School (Va.) star Andre Dawkins is a rare commodity.

He can do a 360-dunk with the same minimal effort he uses to drain a 3-pointer from a foot behind the NBA line. He’s the leading scorer on one of the most storied AAU programs on the circuit – Boo Williams Summer League – and he’s the No. 4 rated shooting guard in the class of 2010.

Still, as skilled as Dawkins, a 6-5 guard, is on the court it’s his ability to persuade that may trump everything else… MORE >

Words. Jason Jordan

N.C. State Commit Says He’s in as Long as Sidney Lowe is His Coach.

Photo. NorthCarolinaStateScout.com

Ryan Harrow is a realist who doesn’t mind speaking candidly about the obvious flaw in his game.

“It’s my strength,” says Harrow. “Yeah… I’m really not strong at all.”

At 6-feet tall, Harrow, a point guard who hails from Walton High School in Marietta, Ga., tips the scale at just 148 pounds. Still, the beanpole factor hasn’t slowed his offensive arsenal, which has in turn caused his stock shoot up over the past few months.

Defensively it’s a different story. His size can, at times, make him a liability when bigger guards post him up, which is why Harrow has committed to lifting weights with the Walton football team all summer. MORE >

Words. Devin Davis

This is why Indiana brought in Tom Crean a year ago. There’s a decent chance that Crean is on the brink of landing his biggest recruit ever at IU. Kyrie Irving a 6-foot-1, 175-lbs guard from St. Patrick of Elizabeth, NJ, Irving ranks in at the number four guard in the class of 2010 according to rivals. Indiana is definitely at the top of his list and a major possibility. Irving visited Indiana two weeks ago for an AAU event. MORE >

Words. Jason Jordan

Photo. fredericksburg.com

Fresh off of a strong showing at the Tournament of Champions with DC Assault, Joshua Hairston, a 6-8 forward who hails from Courtland High School (Va.), must now prepare to take on the world in the World Basketball Tournament in Douai, France from June 8-15. Hairston, one of the nation’s best high school talents, will be part of the 2K Sports All-Star Team that battles squads from Australia, Spain, Lithuania, Puerto Rico, France, Canada, and Croatia the second week of June. [Editor's note: We will be covering the whole tourney right here on highschoolhoop.com, complete with video of the team's trip.]

Hairston, a Duke commit who checks in at No. 35 on the HighSchoolHoop top 50, chatted with us about everything from his grueling schedule to why basketball isn’t the only thing he’s looking forward to in France. MORE >