Jacksonville, Florida

One Down!!!

Team G.O.O.D. went down I-95 to Jacksonville, Florida to participate in D1spects River City Classic. Displaying hard nose defense and fast pace basketball, Team G.O.O.D. was able to bring back the first place trophy.

Arriving in Jacksonville Friday afternoon the team was very anxious and ready to play. This been the first tournaments of the year most of the players had butterflies and the coaches didn’t know what to expect.

In the first game Friday night the team came out and played defense like a 90′s Duke team. All 12 players went and put their all on the court. Before you knew it Team G.O.O.D had a 30+ point lead on their opponent. They won the game  by 28 points. The coaches were glad to see by them putting extra emphasis on defense it worked out for the best.

Saturday the team had a early game. Facing the host team the coaches knew  they needed to see the same team from Friday night, with the same intensity.

We came out ready to play, but lack the defense intensity from the night before. Not only did we play at a slower pace but we hurt ourselves with turn overs and fouls. We had 18 turnovers in the first half and the opposing team was in the bonus. With the careless mistakes we still stuck in the game until the last minute, we ended up loosing by 10 points.

Saturday wasn’t a good day we lost another close one by 1 point. ( HIGHLIGHTS and GAMES COMING SOON )

Long story short Team G.O.O.D. came out Sunday and redeem their selves  played hard and was able to revenge their one point lost. They won the championship game by 2 points in overtime to the team they lost to by 1 point the night before.

Tournament MVP’s

Javis Howard

Avery Redden

Championship MVP

Malik Timmons

Congratulations Team G.O.O.D. !!!!

Thanks to all the Parents without you this wouldn’t be possible

Strengths:

Because of his outstanding overall skill level Miller is one of the most versatile players in the 2011 class. As a 6’10 wing player his potential and upside are phenomenal as he combines size, athleticism and a good basketball I.Q. into a difficult match-up at any level. He has the ability to score inside-out showing that he is adept at playing with his back to the basket or facing up. He can knock it down behind the arc and is a good play maker off the dribble. He is also a very good rebounder and shot blocker when he puts his mind to it.

Weakness:
Miller’s strength from the perimeter sometimes turns into one of his biggest weaknesses as he has a tendency to gravitate to the perimeter too often which leads to a lack of offensive rebounding production and free-throw attempts. Although he is a shot maker, he needs to refine his shooting technique (his shot is a little deliberate, flat and his elbow is out) from 3 as his shooting percentage is bound to dip at the next levels when he is forced to get it off quicker against bigger and more athletic defenders. Finally, he has a great frame, but needs to develop his body to take the physical pounding at the higher levels.

Bottom Line:
Miller is an elite player and one of the top NBA prospects in his class. He reminds me of a more athletic Danny Manning-type player that is highly skilled and understands how to play. If he continues to work, develop and stays focused this young man has a bright future ahead of him.

Notes

Travel Team: D-One Sports…Left Quality Education Academy in April, 2010…Committed to Baylor in Oct. 2010…An ACL tear will sideline him for his senior season…

]]> http://www.goodsportsworld.com/good/archives/851/feed 0 http://www.goodsportsworld.com/good/archives/843 http://www.goodsportsworld.com/good/archives/843#comments Wed, 21 Apr 2010 02:07:29 +0000 admin http://www.goodsportsworld.com/good/?p=843

BISHOP GORMAN

The following is a list of 30 high school basketball teams that appear to have a powerhouse crew returning from this year’s squad.

All teams are listed in alphabetical order, with 2009-2010 records listed. This is simply an early list of squads that played well this season with underclass talent expected to return. As always, transfers are the rule, rather than the exception, these days in high school basketball, and this list is expected to be fluid and changing until our season preview occurs next fall.

This is done in fun – and follows what seems to be every college basketball website doing the same type of look at next season’s early favorites. This list does not include schools that have rosters that benefit from numerous transfers or lesser-known foreign players, including Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, VA), Findlay Prep (Henderson, NV), Montrose Christian (Rockville, MD), Mountain State Academy (Beckley, WV), and Montverde Academy (Montverde, FL).

Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV) 30-2

Boys & Girls (Brooklyn, NY) 28-6

Chaminade (St. Louis, MO) 21-6

Christ the King (Middle Village, NY) 26-5

Christ School (Arden, NC) 37-2

City College (Baltimore, MD) 23-2

DeMatha (Hyattsville, MD) 32-4

Douglass (Oklahoma City, OK) 29-0

Dudley (Greensboro, NC) 22-7

Hamilton (Milwaukee, WI) 20-4

Hopkins (Minnetonka, MN) 30-2

Jamesville-Dewitt (Jamesville, NY) 25-1

Jesuit (Portland, OR) 26-2

Lincoln (Dallas, TX) 24-3

Lincoln (San Diego, CA) 29-2

Melrose (Memphis, TN) 37-4

Milton (Alpharetta, GA) 29-4

Morgan Park (Chicago, IL) 28-6

Norfolk Christian (Norfolk, VA) 24-4

North Central (Indianapolis, IN) 25-3

Paterson Catholic (Paterson, NJ) 28-1

Penn Wood (Landsdowne, PA) 27-4

Poly (Long Beach, CA) 28-5

Simeon (Chicago, IL) 25-9

St. Benedict’s Prep (Newark, NJ) 20-1

St. Patrick (Elizabeth, NJ) 24-3

Taft (Woodland Hills, CA) 26-6

Whitney Young (Chicago, IL) 23-7

Wichita Heights (Wichita, KS) 23-2

Winter Park (Winter Park, FL) 29-6

The 2010 Parade Magazine All-America High School Boys Basketball Team:Name High School City, State Ht.
FIRST TEAM
Jared Sullinger Northland Columbus, Ohio 6′9″
Harrison Barnes Ames Ames, Iowa 6′7″
Brandon Knight Pine Crest Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 6′3″
Kyrie Irving St. Patrick Elizabeth, N.J. 6′2″
Deshaun Thomas Bishop Luers Fort Wayne, Ind. 6′7″
Tobias Harris Half Hollow Hills West Dix Hills, N.Y. 6′8″
Cory Joseph Findlay College Prep Henderson, Nev. 6′3″
Terrence Jones Jefferson Portland, Ore. 6′9″
Reggie Bullock Kinston Kinston, N.C. 6′7″
Joe Jackson White Station Memphis, Tenn. 6′0″

SECOND TEAM
Tristan Thompson Findlay College Prep Henderson, Nev. 6′10″
Michael Gilchrist St. Patrick Elizabeth, N.J. 6′7″
Doron Lamb Oak Hill Academy Mouth of Wilson, Va. 6′4″
Austin Rivers Winter Park Winter Park, Fla. 6′3″
Josh Selby Lake Clifton Baltimore, Md. 6′2″
C.J. Leslie Word of God Christian Raleigh, N.C. 6′8″
Dion Waiters Life Center Academy Burlington, N.J. 6′4″
Patric Young Providence Jacksonville, Fla. 6′9″
JayVaughn Pinkston Bishop Loughlin Brooklyn, N.Y. 6′6″
Ray McCallum Detroit County Day Beverly Hills, Mich. 6′1″

THIRD TEAM
Ryan Harrow Walton Marietta, Ga. 6′0″
Kendall Marshall Bishop O’Connell Arlington, Va. 6′4″
Josh Hairston Montrose Christian Rockville, Md. 6′9″
Nate Lubick St. Mark’s Southborough, Ma. 6′8″
Fab Melo Sagemont Weston, Fla. 7′0″
Keith Appling Pershing Detroit, Mich. 6′2″
Jereme Richmond Waukegan Waukegan, Ill. 6′7″
Jelan Kendrick Wheeler Marietta, Ga. 6′6″
Joseph Young Yates Houston, Tex. 6′2″
Perry Jones Duncanville Duncanville, Tex. 6′11″

FOURTH TEAM
Allen Crabbe Price Los Angeles, Calif. 6′6″
Ian Miller United Faith Christian Charlotte, N.C. 6′3″
Adreian Payne Jefferson Dayton, Ohio 6′10″
James McAdoo Norfolk Christian Norfolk, Va. 6′8″
Marquis Teague Pike Indianapolis, Ind. 6′1″
Marcus Thornton Westlake Atlanta, Ga. 6′8″
James Bell Montverde Academy Montverde, Fla. 6′5″
Tyler Lamb Mater Dei Santa Ana, Calif. 6′5″
Corey Hawkins Estrella Foothills Goodyear, Ariz. 6′3″
Noah Cottrill Logan Logan, W.Va. 6′2″

Gatorade release their 2010 Boys Basketball Players of the Year  list. Our South Carolina own RJ Slawson from Fort Dorchester made the list. Congratulation to RJ and we are looking to have more players on this list next year.

In 1985, The Gatorade Company established an award honoring America’s elite high school student-athletes. Now in its third decade, the Gatorade Player of the Year award has become one of the most prestigious accolades in high school sports. The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one award-winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school boys football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls basketball, boys baseball, girls softball and boys and girls track & field. The selection process for Gatorade State and National Players of the Year is administered by ESPN RISE, the multimedia high school division of ESPN, in partnership with The Gatorade Company. All final selection decisions are the result of a collaborative effort between ESPN RISE and The Gatorade Company.

Amongst Gatorade Player of the Year award alumni, fans will discover names like Peyton Manning, Candace Parker, Alonzo Mourning and Lisa Leslie. These champions represent only a handful of exceptional talents who were first recognized by the Gatorade Player of the Year program before shining at the highest levels of competition. Over the past 24 years, more than 10,500 state and 200 national Players of the Year have been honored for their athletic excellence, academic achievement and exemplary character.

The Gatorade company is proud to recognize, celebrate and support the nation’s most outstanding high school talents throughout their journey to greatness both on and off the field.

The 2010 Gatorade Boys Basketball Players of the Year:

Alaska: Kyle Fossman, Haines, 6′-0″, SR, G, 26 ppg, 6 apg, 5 rpg, 2 stl University of Alaska-Anchorage

Alabama: KT Harrell, Brewbaker Tech, 6′-4″, SR, G, 27 ppg, 10 rpg, 6 apg, 2 stl, 1 blk Virginia

Arkansas: Preston Purifoy, Conway, 6′-5″, SR, F, 15 ppg, 5 rpg, 1 blk University of Alabama-Birmingham

Arizona: Corey Hawkins, Estrella Foothills, 6′-3″, SR, G, 36 ppg, 10 rpg, 4 stl, 3.7 apg Arizona State

California: Allan Crabbe, Price, 6′-6″, SR, G, 23 ppg, 11 rpg, 3 apg California

Colorado: Bud Thomas, Regis Jesuit, 6′-6″, SR, F, 19 ppg, 8 rpg, 3 apg, 2 blk, 1 stl Undecided

Connecticut: Brandon Sherrod, Stratford, 6′-4″, SR, C, 16 ppg, 14 rpg, 6 blk Undecided

D.C.: Tyler Thornton, Gonzaga Prep, 6′-2″, SR, G, 14 ppg, 4 apg, 3 rpg, 2 stl Duke

Delaware: Corey Crawford, Dover, 6′-0″, SR, G, 23 ppg, 4 rpg, 3 apg Undecided

Florida: Brandon Knight, Pine Crest, 6′-3″, SR, G, 31 ppg, 8 rpg, 3 apg, 2 stl Undecided

Georgia: Ryan Harrow, Walton, 6′-1″, SR, G, 32 ppg, 6 apg, 4 rpg, 3 stl NC State

Hawaii: Micah Christenson, Kamehameha Schools-Kapalama HS, 6′-5″, JR, G, 16 ppg, 7 rpg, 2 stl, 2 apg, 1 blk

Iowa: Harrison Barnes, Ames, 6′-8″, SR, F, 27 ppg, 10 rpg, 3 stl, 3 apg, 1 blk North Carolina

Idaho: Kyle Dranginis, Skyview, 6′-4″, JR, G, 21 ppg, 6 apg, 6 rpg Gonzaga

Illinois: Rayvonte Rice, Centennial, 6′-3″, SR, G, 24 ppg, 6 rpg, 2 stl, 1 apg Drake

Indiana: Travis Carroll, Danville, 6′-10″, SR, C, 19 ppg, 12 rpg, 1 blk Purdue

Kansas: Perry Ellis, Wichita Heights, 6′-8″, SO, F, 22 ppg, 10 rpg, 1 apg, 1 blk, 1 stl Undecided

Kentucky: Elisha Justice, Shelby Valley, 5′-11″, SR, G, 20 ppg, 6 apg, 4 rpg, 4 stl Louisville

Louisiana: Matt Derenbecker, Metairie Park Country Day, 6′-7″, SR, F, 26 ppg, 10 rpg, 4 apg, 2 blk, 1 stl LSU

Massachusetts: Nate Lubick, St. Mark’s, 6′-9″, SR, F, 21 ppg, 10 rpg, 4 apg, 2 blk Georgetown

Maryland: Josh Hairston, Montrose Christian, 6′-8″, SR, F, 20 ppg, 10 rpg, 2 blk Duke

Maine: Stefano Mancini, Falmouth, 6′-2″, SR, G, 22 ppg, 3 apg, 3 rpg, 2 stl Undecided

Michigan: Ray McCallum, Detroit Country Day, 6′-1″, SR, G, 22 ppg, 7 rpg, 5 apg, 3 stl Undecided

Minnesota: Kevin Noreen, Minnesota Transitions, 6′-10″, SR, F, 38 ppg, 16 rpg, 5 apg, 3 stl, 3 blk Boston College

Missouri: Bradley Beal, Chaminade, 6′-3″, JR, G, 29 ppg, 5 rpg, 1 stl Florida

Mississippi: Andre Stringer, Forest Hill, 5′-10″, SR, G, 26 ppg, 7 apg, 4 rpg, 3 stl LSU

Montana: Josh Huestis, CM Russell, 6′-7″, SR, C, 17 ppg, 12 rpg, 4 blk, 1 stl, 1 apg Stanford

North Carolina: Reggie Bullock, Kinston, 6′-7″, SR, G, 23 ppg, 11 rpg, 5 apg, 3 stl, 2 blk North Carolina

North Dakota: Nik Savageau, Fargo North, 5′-10″, SR, G, 21 ppg, 5 rpg, 4 apg, 2 stl University of Sioux Falls

Nebraska: Elliott Eliason, Chadron, 6′-11″, SR, C, 17 ppg, 10 rpg, 4 blk, 2 apg, 1 stl Minnesota

New Hampshire: Melvin Ejim, Brewster Academy, 6′-6″ SR, F, 13 ppg, 7 rpg, 3 stl, 2 apg Iowa

New Jersey: Kyrie Irving, St. Patrick, 6′-1″, SR, G, 24 ppg, 6 apg, 4 rpg, 3 stl Duke

New Mexico: Alex Kirk, Los Alamos, 6′-11″, SR, C, 26 ppg, 13 rpg, 7 blk, 3 apg New Mexico

Nevada: Jonathan Loyd, Bishop Gorman, 5′-9″, SR, G, 14 ppg, 8 apg, 4 rpg, 3 stl Undecided

New York: Tobias Harris, Half Hollow Hills West, 6′-9″, F, 25 ppg, 14 rpg, 3 apg, 3 blk Tennessee

Ohio: Jordan Sibert, Princeton, 6′-4″, SR, G, 18 ppg, 3 rpg, 3 stl, 2 apg Ohio State

Oklahoma: Tyler Neal, Putnam City West, 6′-6″, SR, F, 18 ppg, 8 rpg Undecided

Oregon: Garrett Jackson, Westview, 6”-6″, SR, F, 19 ppg, 8 rpg, 2 apg, 1 stl, 1 blk USC

Pennsylvania: Tony Chennault, Neumann-Goretti, 6′-2″, SR, G, 19 ppg, 5 rpg, 2 apg Wake Forest

Rhode Island: Michael Carter-Williams, St. Andrew’s, 6′-5″, JR, G, 18 ppg, 7 rpg, 4 apg Syracuse

South Carolina: R.J. Slawson, Fort Dorchester, 6′-8″, SR, F, 22 ppg, 12 rpg, 6 blk, 3 apg South Carolina

South Dakota: Jared Hannigan, Central, 6′-2″, SR, G, 21 ppg, 7 rpg, 2 stl Northern State

Tennessee: Joe Jackson, White Station, 6′-0″, SR, G, 30 ppg Memphis

Texas: Joseph Young, Yates, 6′-2″, SR, G, 27 ppg, 4 stl, 4 rpg, 3 apg Providence

Utah: Kyle Collinsworth, Provo, 6′-6″, SR, G, 23 ppg, 10 rpg, 8 apg BYU

Virginia: James McAdoo, Norfolk Christian, 6′-8″, JR, F, 22 ppg, 9 rpg, 1 stl, 1 blk, 1 apg North Carolina

Vermont: Joe O’Shea, Burlington, 6′-4″, SR, G, 24 ppg, 7 rpg, 4 apg, 3 stl Holy Cross

Washington: Joe Harris, Chelan, 6′-6″, SR, G, 26 ppg, 8 rpg, 4 apg, 4 stl, 1 blk Virginia

Wisconsin: Josh Gasser, Port Washington, 6′-4″, SR, G, 23 ppg, 9 rpg, 4 apg, 2 stl Wisconsin

West Virginia: Noah Cottrill, Logan, 6′-3″, SR, G, 29 ppg, 9 apg, 5 apg, 3 stl West Virginia

Wyoming: Daniel Estes, Laramie, 5′-11″, SR, G, 21 ppg, 4 apg, 2 rpg 2 stl Undecided

By the Numbers:

Positions

Guards: 32

Forwards:13

Centers: 6

Class

Seniors:45

Junior:5

Sophomores: 1

Freshmen: 0

Colleges Commitments/Signings

Duke: 3

North Carolina: 3

Virginia: 2

The following is Prep Hoops Assist Class of 2011 player watch list. This list was composed utilizing and considering the rankings of numerous scouting services and publications. This is not a consensus list, but appears to be 80 players that most national sources consider to be the cream of the crop in the class of 2011.

The pictured below is South Carolina very own Damien Leonard a 6’4 Guard with a deadly shot. Hopefully we get more South Carolina Players on this list this summer.

We also added a video of Bishop Daniels from North Carolina;  if not the best, one of the best dunker’s in the class of 2011.

Tracy Abrams, 6′-1″, G, Mt. Carmel (Chicago, IL) ILLINOIS

Jamal Branch, 6′-3″, G, Grace Prep (Arlington, TX) TEXAS A&M

Bradley Beal, 6′-3″, G, Chaminade (St. Louis, MO) FLORIDA

Wayne Blackshear, 6′-5″, G, Morgan Park (Chicago, IL) LOUISVILLE

Jabari Brown, 6′-3″, G, Oakland (Oakland, CA)

Carlton Brundidge, 6′-0″, G, Southfield (Southfield, MI) MICHIGAN

Trey Burke, 6′-0″, G, Northland (Columbus, OH) PENN STATE

Kentavious Caldwell, 6′-5″, G, Greenville (Greenville, GA)

Matt Carlino, 6′-3″, G, Bloomington South (Bloomington, IN) INDIANA

Jahii Carson, 6′-0″, G, Mesa (Mesa, AZ) OREGON STATE

Michael Carter-Williams, 6′-4″, G, St. Andrews (Barrington, RI) SYRACUSE

K.C. Caudill, 6′-11″, C, Brea-Olinda (Brea, CA)

Michael Chandler, 6′-10″, C, Lawrence North (Lawrence, IN) LOUISVILLE

Angelo Chol, 6′-8″, F, Hoover (San Diego, CA)

Rakeem Christmas, 6′-9″, C, Academy of the New Church (Bryn Athyn, PA)

Quinn Cook, 6′-0″, G, DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, MD)

Trevor Cooney, 6′-4″, G, Sanford (Wilmington, DE)

DeAndre Daniels, 6′-8″, F, Taft (Woodland Hills, CA) TEXAS

Darwin “Dee” Davis, 5′-11″, G, Bloomington South (Bloomington, IN) XAVIER

Jeremiah Davis, 6′-3″, G, Muncie Central (Muncie, IN)

Myles Davis, 6′-2″, G, St. Peter’s Prep (Jersey City, NJ)

Branden Dawson, 6′-6″, F, Wallace (Gary, IN)

Nnanna Egwu, 6′-9″, C, St. Ignatius (Chicago, IL) ILLINOIS

Michael Gbinije, 6′-6″, F, Benedictine (Richmond, VA)

Sterling Gibbs, 6′-1″, G, Seton Hall Prep (West Orange, NJ)

Michael Gilchrist, 6′-7″, F, St. Patrick (Elizabeth, NJ)

P.J. Hairston, 6′-6″, G, Dudley (Greensboro, NC) NORTH CAROLINA

Maurice Harkless, 6′-7″, F, Forest Hills (Queens, NY) CONNECTICUT

Andre Hollins, 6′-2″, G, White Station (Memphis, TN)

Rodney Hood, 6′-7″, F, Meridian (Meridian, MS)

Mikael Hopkins, 6′-8″, F, DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, MD)

Nick Jacobs, 6′-8″, C, South Atlanta (Atlanta, GA)

Nick Johnson, 6′-4″, G, Findlay Prep (Henderson, NV)

Sidiki Johnson, 6′-8″, F, St. Benedict’s Prep (Newark, NJ) ARIZONA

Tyrone Johnson, 6′-3″, G, Plainfield (Plainfield, NJ)

Chris Jones, 5′-10″, G, Melrose (Melrose, TN) TENNESSEE

Myck Kabongo, 6′-2″, G, St. Benedict’s Prep (Newark, NJ) TEXAS

Brandon Kearney, 6′-4″, G, Southeastern (Detroit, MI) MICHIGAN STATE

Trevor Lacey, 6′-3″, G, Butler (Huntsville, AL)

Shane Larkin, 5′-11″, G, Dr. Phillips (Orlando, FL)

Damien Leonard, 6′-4″, G, JL Mann (Greenville, SC)

Julien Lewis, 6′-3″, G, LaMarque (LaMarque, TX) TEXAS

Ky Madden, 6′-4″, G, East Poinsett County (Lepanto, AR)

James McAdoo, 6′-8″, F, Norfolk Christian (Norfolk, VA) NORTH CAROLINA

Sheldon McClellan 6′-5″, G/F, Bellaire (Bellaire, TX) TEXAS

Tom McCune, 6′-7″, F, Saginaw (Saginaw, MI)

Ben McLemore, 6′-5″, G, Eskridge (Wellston, MO)

George Marshall, 5′-11″, G, Brooks (Chicago, IL) WISCONSIN

Keaton Miles, 6′-7″, F, Lincoln (Dallas, TX)

Quincy Miller, 6′-9″, F, Quality Education Academy (Winston-Salem, NC)

LeBryan Nash, 6′-7″, F, Lincoln (Dallas, TX)

Anthony Norris, 6′-7″, F, Sam Houston (Houston, TX) MEMPHIS

Johnny O’Bryant, 6′-9″, F, Eastside (Cleveland, MS)

Dai Jon Parker, 6′-3″, G, Milton (Alpharetta, GA)

Norvel Pelle, 6′-10″, F, Price (Los Angeles, CA)

Marshall Plumlee, 6′-10″, C, Christ School (Arden, NC)

Zac Price, 6′-11″, C, St. Edward (Lakewood, OH)

Chasson Randle, 6′-1″, G, Rock Island (Rock Island, IL)

Marquis Rankin, 6′-1″, G, Vance (Charlotte, NC)

Austin Rivers, 6′-4″, G, Winter Park (Winter Park, FL) FLORIDA

Aaron Ross, 6′-7″, F, Parkview (Little Rock, AR) ARKANSAS

LaQuinton Ross, 6′-8″, F, Life Center Academy (Burlington, NJ)

Julian Royal, 6′-7″, F, Milton (Alpharetta, GA)

Mike Shaw, 6′-8″, F, De La Salle (Chicago, IL)

Shannon Scott, 6′-2″, G, Milton (Alpharetta, GA) OHIO STATE

Deville Smith, 5′-11″, G, Callaway (Jackson, MS)

Ryan Taylor, 6′-5″, F, Lawrence North (Lawrence, IN) LOUISVILLE

Marquis Teague, 6′-2″, G, Pike (Indianapolis, IN)

Adonis Thomas, 6′-6″, F, Melrose (Memphis, TN)

Sam Thompson, 6′-6″, F, Whitney Young (Chicago, IL)

Josiah Turner, 6′-3″, G, Sacramento (Sacramento, CA)

Kevin Ware, 6′-3″, G, Rockdale County (Conyers, GA) TENNESSEE

Dezmine Wells, 6′-5″, F, Word of God (Raleigh, NC) XAVIER

Byron Wesley, 6′-5″, F, Etiwanda (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) USC

Amir Williams, 6′-10″, C, Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, MI)

Nino Williams, 6′-5″, F, Leavenworth (Leavenworth, KS)

Derrick Wilson, 6′-1″, Hotchkiss School (Lakeville, CT)

Kyle Wiltjer, 6′-9″, F, Jesuit (Portland, OR)

Tony Wroten, 6′-5″, G, Garfield (Seattle, WA)

Achraf Yacoubou, 6′-3″, G, Long Island Lutheran (Long Island, NY) VILLANOVA

If you haven’t heard about the High Point, North Carolina native Deuce Bello I’m pretty sure you will very soon. This kid have been on ESPN top 10 more than once for crazy dunks doing high school basketball games. Thanks to MemphisRoar great interview with Deuce last year here is a better insight on a good up and coming basketball player.

Bello, a 6’3’’ guard, plays for Westchester Country Day School in High Point, North Carolina. He also plays on the D-One Sports AAU team coached by Brian Clifton. Despite coming from a relatively small town, Bello’s game is primed for the limelight. His uncanny ability to get to the basket, his monster dunks, and his breath-taking alley-oops have all become standard in Bello’s game.

Bello is starting to become one of the nation’s most coveted 2011 recruits, listing interest in Baylor, Clemson, Duke, High Point University, Maryland, Memphis, NC State, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Wake Forest, UNC, UNC-Charlotte, and USC, according to various recruiting services. When asked if he had any leaders at this time, Bello respectfully declined to answer. In fact, Bello went as far to say. “I’m not considering anybody (right now).” Bello told MemphisRoar that his coach Brian Clifton and his trainer are handling the colleges right now as he focuses on his sophomore year.

With more college choices than one can count on two hands, it is easy to wonder what will factor into making his decision. When asked if distance would play a factor when making his college decision, Bello replied, “I don’t think it will. It just depends on the style of play that I like to play, and what the education is like.” And what style of play does Bello like? “I like to get up and down the floor,” he said.

Deuce had the opportunity last summer to play with one of the nation’s best 2009 high school players, John Wall, on their D-One Sports AAU team. “Just watching him play helps me a lot, and I learn a lot of stuff,” Bello said. “In the beginning of the season, I was not getting a lot of time for D-One Sports, and just watching him, I started to step up.” In addition to learning a lot from John Wall, Bello said his coaches have also helped in making him the player he is today, motivating him and telling him the things he needs to do.

When asked what he considered to be the most underrated part of his game, Bello said, “I don’t think I have any part that’s underrated; I think there’s just things I need to work on. I think I need to work on my shooting right now.”

Despite gaining the attention of numerous division one programs and being regarded as a top prospect for his class, Bello maintains a very humble attitude. “It’s a blessing. It’s just hard work that paid off,” Bello told MemphisRoar. Bello’s hard work is definitely paying off, as he was named to the 2009 NCISAA 2A Boys All-State Basketball Team for this season only a few days ago.

With Bello’s size (6’3’’ and 170 lbs.) and freakish athletic ability, Bello says he is unsure what position he will play in college. “I’m playing point guard right (for Westchester Country Day), but I believe I will probably play shooting guard.” Bello’s knack at getting to the basket gives the defense fits, and with the hard work he is putting in, it is getting harder and harder to find flaws in his game.

While Deuce Bello may not know where he wants to play college ball now, or even the position he will play once he gets there, one thing is certain with this young man—Bello will be a great addition to any college program.

Austin Rivers and Brandon Knight were teammates on the summer circuit but had never met during the high school season – that is until Friday. The pair of high profile players are known for their scoring touch and are considered two of the nation’s top players in their respective classes.

Brandon Knight is a senior from Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Pine Crestand and Austin Rivers is a Junior from Winter Park, Fla.

Their highly anticipated first encounter was nationally televised on Friday on ESPN2.

And what a game it was. Austin Rivers scored 41 points and helped the Winter Park’s boys basketball team to  an 87-76 victory against 2 time defending Class 3A state champion Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest and largely outplayed senior Brandon Knight.

Knight and Rivers played for Each One Teach One, a Central Florida club team. Rivers figures he’ll guard his friend throughout the game.

“You can’t guard him the whole game or you’ll be exhausted,” Rivers said. “I’m the best person to guard him, especially in the fourth quarter when the game could be on the line.

Brandon Knight who is closing in on Broward County’s all-time scoring mark? “He’s an aggressive player and a scorer,” Rivers said. “He likes to attack the glass and steps out to shoot the 3-ball.”

Knight has scored more than 3,300 career points, averaging 32 points, and has knocked down 86 3s this season. Pine Crest (19-4) entered Friday’s game having dropped a buzzer-beating 63-62 decision to Florida Air Academy, snapping a 30-game home win streak. Knight had 42 points with four 3-pointers.

Winter Park (Fla.) High School point guard Austin Rivers is one of the best prep players, pound-for-pound, in the country. HighSchoolHoop.com ranks the 6-4 junior fifth overall in its national Top 50. Rivers has been verbally committed to Florida for over a year, but this fall, decided to open things up and let Duke recruit him as well.

The younger son of Celtics coach Doc Rivers and younger brother of Indiana Hoosiers PG Jeremiah Rivers, Austin had a kill mentality in Friday night game against Pine Crestand School showing off why he is one of the top guards in class of 2011.