Kobe in Philly. Photo. Chris SembrotThe Vince post from earlier today got me to thinking about the best high school players I’ve seen over the years - LeBron, O.J. Mayo, DaJuan Wagner, Eddie Griffin and DeShawn Stevenson (he was legit in HS) all immediately come to mind. For me though, the best I’ve ever seen at the high school level has to be Kobe Bryant. I played against him a lot in high school, and watched him turn into a mini version of the beast that he is today. I can remember one year he was averaging something close to 40 a game, and we were ridiculously proud of ourselves after holding him to 21.
So how about you - Who is the best high school player you’ve ever seen live? Give us where, when and what that player did to earn your respect.
Related posts:
July 17th, 2008 at 10:52 am
the_baconator says:
the best high school player i’ve ever seen is prolly wilson rose. i go to a really small school in ny, so we don’t get a ton of talent coming through our doors. in high school will was a beast, dunking and shooting threes. my brother kept stats during varsity games, and i remember games where’d he explode for 24 boards in a game. he plays for the university of rochester right now and doesn’t get a ton of playing time, but damn… in high school, he was something special to watch
July 17th, 2008 at 10:52 am
shake&bake says:
I played against LeBron in AAU and he was unbelievable for a player that age.
July 17th, 2008 at 10:53 am
Yoooo says:
Dajuan Wagner was the best I saw… Best I played against was probably Randy Foye
July 17th, 2008 at 10:55 am
The Jed says:
Not even a question. Deshawn Stevenson. I guess it was 8 oyears ago and I was doing some work for the Mcdonald’s All American game and I was at every tournament and camp. I just remember him absolutely dominating the adidas Big Time Tournament in Vegas. He was KILLLLLING. Jumpers, throw downs, everything. Nobody could stop him.
The only other guy that comes to mind is Wayne Turner. I once saw him drop like 60 on some team. The weirdest part was that he could shoot. His jumper was ugly then also, but it just went in.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:02 am
Christian Grant-Fields says:
I would have to say Majestic Mapp (St. Raymond’s) or Kenny Satterfield (Rice High School).
Both were animals, and used to torment me in high school. Guarding them wasn’t fun at all. Lol Majestic did whatever he wanted to on the court and there wasn’t a soul alive who could keep ‘Serious Sat’ from getting to the rack.
Mapp went on to play @ UVA, but he blew out his knee and finished up @ West Georgia I think.
Kenny played w/ K-Mart at Cincy and just recently had 68 points up in the Bronx at Hoops in the Sun.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:02 am
bliz289 says:
@ The Jed
Funny, I remember playing against Wayne Turner when he was in 8th grade. Kid was nasty. Too bad he never fixed that J or he could have been in the League.
Best high school player I ever saw live was KG at the 95 McDonalds Game. Man amongst boys. And that was probably the best collection of high schoolers ever on one court!
July 17th, 2008 at 11:06 am
bballinca says:
High School Players that I’ve seen live that were great:
Tracy Murray avg. some 40+ points a game.
jacque Vaughan great scorer, asissts, handles etc in high school.
Schea Cotton awesome in high school (Mater Dei). Had a man’s body/game in hs but never amounted to much in college.
Plently more but those are the three best.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:08 am
CSmith says:
By “played” against Kobe, Cassidy means that he stood around and asked for his autograph as Kobe dribbled past on his way to another flush.
Best HS player of all-time Roderick Rhodes. Rhodes was th best player on the best HS team of all-time — 1988-89 St. Anthony’s of Jersey City (NJ).
Admittedly that is where his career peaked.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:12 am
Jim says:
…Chris Mihm. No, seriously, he was dominant. Chris Klack was probably the most hyped guy I ever saw but Mihm was on another level from everyone. He just destroyed us in the regular season, and we had a good team.
He was nothing compared to Drew Brees, though, who went to the same school and graduated the same year. Easily the best high school athlete I ever saw, and no one in Texas offered him a scholarship…
July 17th, 2008 at 11:13 am
DaPro says:
KG and Ronnie Fields at Farragut High School. We all know about KG but Ronnie Fields was an all world athlete.
Google this cat and see how he sick he was. Bad decisions caused him to throw away his career before he had a chance
July 17th, 2008 at 11:14 am
Dime Magazine says:
@ Jim
what was Brees’ game like?
July 17th, 2008 at 11:18 am
bliz289 says:
@ Jim
Chris Mihm? Where do you work that they let you drink first-thing in the morning?
@ DaPro
Good call. I saw Ronnie live - he was NASTY! Saw him throw down a crazy leaner a la MJ.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:18 am
Jim says:
To clarify…he didn’t play bball, sorry. I went off topic. I am just eternally pissed that Texas didn’t pick him up.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:19 am
Jim says:
bliz, my bad, please tell me who the best HS player I ever saw in person was.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:19 am
Dime Magazine says:
@ CSmith -
I’m tempted to comment about all the teenagers I saw give you the business at ‘Nova pickup runs over the years.
- PC
July 17th, 2008 at 11:19 am
Andrew Katz says:
When I was a freshman, we played against Lenny Cooke. I’d say it was about the same thing as if I were playing against a bunch of 7-year olds. This was when he was out at Northern Valley high in Northern, NJ in 2000. And thus, it was before he was pieced apart by LeBron at ABCD. But he legit had 40 in the first half, shooting jumpers over our zone. He scored on every single play that he wanted.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:24 am
Data says:
That i’ve seen live it would have to be Dwight Howard at a summer tournament. It was just unfair on D he owned the paint… every shot the other team would put up on a drive in the first half was an extreme floater and he’s still block some of them… in the second half they got the point and stopped driving… he must have ended up with at least 12-15 blocks… i’m sure that thses other guys being mentionned were much better in hs but from what i personaly saw lihe it’s DH
July 17th, 2008 at 11:24 am
LeKeith Taylor says:
@ Da Pro
Are you from Chicago?
I have to second that, KG and Ronnie Fields as a tag team combo. Completely unstoppable and terrible what they used to do to kids in HS. Unbelievable display of dominance and athleticism.
Maggette was pretty nasty in HS too.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:28 am
bliz289 says:
@ Jim
it was a joke my man…just sayin it’s been a LONG time since Mihm had game.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:29 am
Jim says:
well bliz, this is the last bday of my 20s, so if I come in a little wobbly I think it’s understandable, right?
July 17th, 2008 at 11:30 am
MoxWestCoastRep says:
Mike Bibby…Was dirrrty in HS, saw him break quite a few ankles in a tourney.
I saw Gil destroy people @US Grant HS
July 17th, 2008 at 11:30 am
scott says:
Salim Stoudamire. Not saying he was the best out there, but he was regularly dropping 30 a night in Portland.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:32 am
Dagomar says:
I think Lebron was universally regarded as the best HS player to play when he graduated, although I never saw him in person at that age. A couple other guys you missed: Ellis and KG. Both absolutely dominated.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:33 am
DaPro says:
@ LeKeith Taylor
Yes sir south side family. The sickest J I saw was probably Nick Irvin. He couldn’t jump and was overweight for a 5′9 cat but his J was wet
July 17th, 2008 at 11:34 am
Dime Magazine says:
Actually, to add to my original post, there was a kid who came up in Philly area the same time as me named Tommy Hauer from a HS called Sun Valley who was just unreal. Big guard/forward, slow, not super athletic, but he could get buckets like crazy. You knew exactly what he was going to do but you still couldn’t stop him. He’s one of PA’s all-time leading HS scorers with 2,300 points or something close to that. Definitely one of the best HS players I’ve ever seen/played against.
- PC
July 17th, 2008 at 11:34 am
DaPro says:
Getty was nice too so was Bobby Simmons, Q (Quentin Richardson) Will Bynum,
Luther Head was sick too
July 17th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Andrew Katz says:
@ CSmith #8
I’m with you that Rod Rhodes is one of the flat out greatest high schoolers of all time. I’ve only read about him in the Miracle of St. Anthony though - what was his game like?
July 17th, 2008 at 11:43 am
Bone says:
Being from Ohio, I saw Lebron play a few times in high school and it was a true case of a man playing against boys. The ease in which he dopped 30 ppg regularly on cats was just insane. He was so much bigger, faster, strong, and more skilled than anyone, it was sick. Plus he got two of his boys (Romeo Travis and Dru Joyce) D1 scholarships at Akron, which counts for something.
A name no one probably remembers is Romain Sato, a FREAKISH athlete who played at Xavier from 2001 - 2004. This guy was on par with Lebron as far as athleticism, though not as big or strong. Of course that might have been because he was rumored to be like 22 when he was in high school.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:46 am
G says:
Saw Maurece Rice and LeBron go at it their senior years at the Pallestra. LeBron was sick but anyone there saw Rice just killing him when the teams cleared out and just let them iso each other up. Matter of fact there were a bunch of dope players at that exhibition. Sean Singletary was a beast and Kyle Lowry was putting on a show too. Maybe the best day of HS ball Ive seen.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:50 am
Bron42 had springs before slamball says:
@ Katz,
Ya I played lenny too when he came out here from the city…it wasn’t even fair at first. Put up 36 in 2 quarters his firt game against like old tappan lol he was a 6′7 230lb guard while most schools in the area don’t have 6′6 centers.
@7, shea cotton, now theres a sad story
Hmmm..Played lebron and amare but both were more just abusive cuz their size compared to everyone. Jonathan hargett was pretty nasty for a smaller sized guy. Toughest matchup was prolly DaJuan though.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:51 am
the mamba says:
Best I’ve seen live was carmelo in a hs tournament down here in houston. He went up against westchester in the finals (who had hassan adams, trevor ariza, and one of the shipp brothers I think) melo won the tourney and had like 32pts in the decisive game. Daniel gibson was also a beast in hs. One game against tac minor (lsu) went to triple overtime. Both players ended up with triple doulbes and gibson had 72pts and minor had 54 I think
July 17th, 2008 at 11:53 am
B says:
I would have to say Felipe Lopez. He was killing catz in High School. And was on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Could have went straight to the league out of H.S.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:53 am
Christian Grant-Fields says:
Just to add one of my personal favorites…
I was on a summer league team with Ben Gordon. We were playing in Elmsford, NY at Massaro Park and he didn’t get there until like the start of the 3rd qtr.
…He finished with 40. Jumpers, layups, and 1s, he did it all.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:54 am
JA says:
For me (growing up near T.O.) was Jamaal Magloire! haha
But seriously, in one tournament we played in a guy on one team goes up strong, and Magloire comes up and while jumping says “Get that shit…” “… out of here!”.
I was dying laughing.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:55 am
marcus the great says:
JamesOn Curry was a beast in high school. i think he’s got the NC state scoring record. he used to come our way for a christmas tourney. 1st game i saw him play he had like a triple dub, next year i saw him outscore the other team at the end of the 3rd like 61-60. ill handle, nice passes and wet J. too bad he fucked up his scholarship to UNC
July 17th, 2008 at 11:56 am
Matty D says:
Tim Thomas…no question. I’ve said this a ton of times, but he was as good as a Sophomore in HS as he is right now. For whatever reason, he never really lived up to his full potential. The guy was a total freak at 16 years old.
Best memory…I literally once saw him jump OVER Dime Mag Associate Publisher, Justin Leonard, who tried to beat him down the floor to take a charge (Think Vince Carter on Frederic Weis). Incredible!
July 17th, 2008 at 11:59 am
marcus the great says:
also dude named helicopter (forgot his government) that played at Cinci was a moose! i was on JV when we played them and after our game we were in the locker room and we jus kept hearin dudes name over the loudspeaker over and over. he was dunkin all on the varsity squad and we weren’t even a bad team lol. when we got in the stands most of the show was over but he finished wit like 30. can’t remember his name tho, he played for RJ Reynolds HS
July 17th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Aaron says:
LeBron- EASY.
July 17th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Justice says:
I can cosign on mapp and satterfield they were beast.
for me id have to say drew nicholas,speedy claxton,andre barrett,omar cook,jason frasier…but the dude that really gave me trouble was sabastian telfair he scored 35 against us and we were in zone and the worst part was he is 3 years younger than us i was in 10th grade he was in 7th beast!!
July 17th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Austin Burton says:
Jamal Crawford would pull out the behind-the-back crossover in games at Rainier Beach H.S. in Seattle and rain threes from 25-30 feet.
Nate Robinson was just an athletic freak, kind of a late-bloomer who really shined his senior year at RB, but was also a great running back on the football field.
Brandon Roy was nice in high school, but you didn’t really watch him and think he’d be an NBA All-Star so soon.
Aaron Brooks is the fastest high schooler I’ve seen on the court.
Adam Morrison dropped like 40 on Brooks’ team in the state championship in a loss. He was one of those players where he’d kill you and you had no idea how he was doing it. He moved in slow motion and made everyone else move in slow motion, too.
Isaiah Thomas (coming to U of Washington this year) dropped 50-plus on my alma mater, Franklin HS, in a state playoff game. He’s about 5-8 or 5-9 but can windmill dunk and hit threes from anywhere.
July 17th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Kyle says:
I would have to say Lamar Odom and Al Harrington. Those guys did absolutely anything they wanted to on the court. The got the board, lead the break, crossed up your lil 5-10 pg and dunked on whoever was under the basket.
As far as players that just gave me me chills watching them, I wold say Sebastian Telfair, Omar Cook and Ray Abellard from Erasmus Hall HS in Brooklyn. They just made guys look foolish trying to play defense. Abellard wasn’t well known because he didn’t play much HS ball due to grades, but guys in the hood and on the park scene knew who he was.
July 17th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
CSmith says:
@ Andrew katz
Rhodes was sick. He was a soph on that 88-89 St. Anthony’s squad. To put Rhodes in present day terms, I would say his game reminds me of a less jacked version of Kobe.
if he had gone to the local public HS and the coach turned him lose he would have gone for 30 a game.
July 17th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
charles says:
the best high school player i ever saw was kenny anderson. he was just unreal. it came so easy to him.
July 17th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
tuff juice says:
JJ Reddick, people thought he pulled up from crazy distance at Duke, you should have seen him in HS and his J was always wet
July 17th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
mambo mamba says:
Hey guys just wondering about HS to NBA players… like when they feel their pro careers are done, and they feel like they wanna experience the “college life” would they still be eligible to play in the NCAA?
Im sure Kobe would still be able to kill the NCAA comp at 38
July 17th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Bron42 had springs before slamball says:
? once u make money you can’t play any sport in college cuz your officially a pro
July 17th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Kobeef says:
I’ve never seen anybody live. I learned everything I know about basketball from Dime.
On a serious note, high school facts:
- Tyler Hansbrough is ranked #1 all time in career shooting percentage (73%..career!)
- Zach Randolph (yes, Z- Bo) is ranked 10th all time in field goal percentage for a season ( 65%)
- Jason Kidd holds the all time career record and season record for steals and is ranked fifth all time in assists
- Othella Harrington ranks second all time in career rebounds
- Shaq ranks 4th all time in rebounds per season
- Jelani McCoy ranks 3rd all time in carrer blocks
- Robert Swift (yep - Carrot- head) ranks 5th all time in career blocks.
July 17th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
gary says:
i saw travis best put up 81 . he the best player to come outta western mass. i belive he is still puttin the hurt on cats over seas
July 17th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
PJ says:
Best matchup in person was Rip Hamilton vs Kobe Bryant at the Palestra in ‘95. Kobe one upped Rip. Lots of big names in the stands in the nostalgic Big 5 shrine.
July 17th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Maine says:
I got to agree with you on Timmy. PC (Paterson Catholic) had a team with like 6 D1/1AA ballers (Kevin Freeman-UConn, Donald Hand-Virginia, Deshaun Williams-Syracuse, etc.) Some games they wouldnt shoot anything but dunks and 3’s for entire quarters. Tim was a 6′10″ center with the shot of a 2 guard, handle of a point, and played defense like he cared. he was by far the best player in Jersey.
July 17th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Willis says:
I’m pretty young, but I played against James Harden (ASU, soon to tear up the NBA) and I’ve seen DeMarcus Nelson and Ryan Anderson play. Seeing as James torched us, he is the best I’ve seen in a HS game.
July 17th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Jim says:
*Once you make money you can’t play THAT sport in college, depending on the conference. No scholarships, though. But once you take an endorsement you are done, period.
July 17th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
B says:
Jamal Crawford, Michael Dickerson, Doug Wrenn, Dennis Nathan, Luke Ridnour.
July 17th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
jmg says:
John Williams, old school, Crenshaw High. 6′9 played every damn position on the court and could not be stopped.
John Staggers, playgroud legend, also played at Crenshaw High. most unorthodox player ever. never started but avg’d 20+ a game and made the most incredible shots
July 17th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Yoooo says:
Justin you lying. Its impossible for you to have played Andre Barret and Sebastian in a single high school career.
Saw Dre Barret get his ass bust by Seton Hall Prep his senior year (2000). Rob Sullivan (George Mason) locked him up and gave him drugs. Tyrone Barley (st. joes), Jamar Nutter (SHU), Anthony Drejaj (St Louis) were all on that squad as well as Mark Curry (Delaware) & faggot ass, punk ass marcus tony el (shu) was out for the year. We still almost beat them that year tho. By Far Jersey has the best high school basketball TEAMS. We commit to team ball so much, rarely do we have exceptional individual talents.
O and Jason Williams (Duke) was a monster in high school too. As well as Dalembert and Al Harrington
July 17th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Austin Burton says:
@B — Good call on Doug Wrenn. He was better than B-Roy in high school, wouldn’t you say? And Brandon’s older brother Ed Roy was nasty, too, but he was one-dimensional. (Jump high, dunk hard, repeat.)
July 17th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Imperial-Mel says:
I played with both Rajon Rondo, and Josh Smith. Both were unbelievble with the drive that they had for the game. After both with slight temper problems calmed down they both balled out of the GYM, well along side of me…
July 17th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
James says:
I played against Chris Paul several times and he was nasty- so quick and his handle was ridiculous- he never turned the ball over. I saw Josh Smith play against a high shcool team in the area back in 05 when he was at oak hill- dude was dunking everything- Chris paul was at the game sitting right in front of me and josh got chris standing up several times.
July 17th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Sho-Nuff says:
Saw J-Kidd in hs on video tape a few times. He was a blurr with the ball. Never saw someone so fast that could stop on a dime and dish it at 6′4″.
In person it’s I’d say LeBron. Saw the game vs. Melo when Melo was a sr. Melo was killing them but ‘Bron did the same thing and was younger. If I remember correctly Melo finished with 35 and Bron had 34 in an Oak Hill Victory, but it really put ‘Bron on the big stage.
July 17th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Matt says:
I saw OJ Mayo and Bill Walker when they were at North College Hill. They beat a team by 104 points and they didnt even play the 2nd half. I think OJ had 41 at halftime and Bill had something like 26. I think there were 26 dunks combined between those two and Kennan Ellis.
July 17th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
eyeused2b says:
Antonio McDyess is the best high school player that I’ve seen live. I was playing in a high school basketball tourney in Small Town, Mississippi (can’t remember where, it was too long ago). My team arrived at the gym in the middle of the Quitman (Dyess’s team) vs Magee game.
A few minutes after sitting in the stands, I saw McDyess grab a defensive board, start dribbling up the court like Odom, then, at half court, he crossed up Magee’s point guard, and continued to weave his way through traffic before finishing it off with a powerful two hand monster dunk. Dude just looked like he shouldn’t have been playing against high schoolers. He was too big, too strong, too athletic, and too talented.
July 17th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
DeSha Rogers-Givens says:
Seen alot of high school hoops, but by far the most impressive performance i have ever seen was Louis Williams very first high school game against defending state champs Berkmar. Every major ACC and SEC coach was in the building for a 9th grader who finished the game with 36, 9, 9. It was the way he got those 36 points playing in a close game with the poise of a 6th year senior in PREP school.
Oh yea, i played against former Kentucky player Rashard Caurth (who should be on an episode of WHERE ARE THEY NOW)(he was like 22 his senior year) and he put up 40 in a half (he was benched for the 1st half of the game by his coach), and i BS you not, We were winning the game by 15 before he was put in.
July 17th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Yoooo says:
James u talkin about that game in winston-salem right? I was there too wit a couple of my mans from the tre fo that I went to a&t with. The team they were playin were kinda booty, but they had 1 kid who went high D1, but Josh Smith was getting a million leak out dunks. It looked like practice
July 17th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Diego says:
I saw Teddy Dupay play in a Christmas tournament at a community college in Gainesville (that also included a Miami h.s. team with Udonis Haslem and Steve Blake–teammates; I could not believe the parent who was telling me to watch out for skinny Blake; I was wrong).
Dupay was a stocky sub-6 foot shooting guard who could really light it up. I think he set the Florida high school career scoring record; must have averaged around 40 a game his last year; Mr. Florida Basketball 1 or 2 years.
Had trouble adjusting his shot against bigger opponents at UF; I think he would have burst out his senior year, but got kicked out for allegedly gambling on games before that year.
Almost got a 10-day for Seattle or Portland after some South America ball, but I think he hurt his knee right when signing.
Became a telemarketer in Salt Lake City I believe in his late 20s; now he is recently arrested in Salt Lake City for beating and sexual assault of a former girlfriend. The mighty can fall.
July 17th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
bigdoggchad says:
I am from Wisconsin so you don’t see many great players, but Reece Gaines and Wesley Mathews(Marquette) were the best I’ve seen.
July 17th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
Allen H says:
Anybody from the DC area can vouch for this one…DerMarr Johnson was an absolute MONSTER in high school at Newport. He was the LeBron James of DC. Dude had a J, a nasty crossover, and played straight up point at 6′9. After the car accident, he was never the same. In high schoool though, DJ got it done.
July 17th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Diego says:
Yeah, I thought DerMarr really was going to advance in the pros, but the severe car accident ending things. He also seemed like a great guy.
July 17th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
carlos burgos a.k.a DaQuEStiOn says:
after me the best high school player ive played agaisnt has to be Peter John Ramos. He is the former wizards center. But i think the reason why he was so dominant in highschool was because he was 7 3 and no one else in the high school league was as near as tall as him. the other player that came close to him in size was ricky sanchez and he was peter’s teammate. They both are currently playing for team PR
July 17th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
Luigi says:
well actually i dont really see high caliber HS players ala Tyreke Evans n Lance Stephenson but the BEST HS player ive EVER played with or against.
Daniel Dixon. Augusta St. D-2 product. sweet stroke n nice drive. plays good D n if he was 6′2-6′3. hed be in D-1 bball right now or in the NBA. but hes only 5′9. n i played with him during camp
but the BEST EVER IVE SEEN. J-Smooove. n Dwight. bkuz the way theyed play D n just dunk on ppl. it was funny n sad 4 the other team to watch
July 17th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Luigi says:
also cont. on the post above. Grant Hill went to South Lakes HS. its in Reston,VA i lived near there n saw him play when i was like 3-4 n told my mom i wanted to be JUST like him
but now. Dixon [Marshall HS] in Falls Church.VA n Scottie Reynolds [Herndon HS] Herndon, VA
SICK SEEING THEM GO AGAINST EACH OTHER! anybody from around the area would relate
July 17th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Luigi says:
n then as u can see, Scottie Rey. was held to 16 against the Marshall team ft. Dixon. n the VERY next yr, he shitted on Uconn for 40 pts. as the BEST player on Villanova.
amazing. u see there talents were the same but the height differencial is what did it for daniel.
much love no homo 4 both
July 17th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Korady says:
Dude named Kevin Hummel. Played for Sequoia High School in Redwood City CA a few years ago (maybe ‘00-’04 or something like that). I had a friend living with me who was the starting point guard for my high school who was telling me about him. Apparently he was averaging something like 42 a game and was getting serious looks from Stanford. The first time I went to see him, he airballed his first shot from about 10 feet behind the three point line. Then he hit all net the next 5 or 6 possessions. Finished the game with about 40. He was just burying jumpers from everywhere eve though everyone knew who they were trying to give the ball to every possession. When they came to play us, it was standing room only. He hit for 47 and I would guess at least 30 of it came from 3’s at least 5 feet behind the line. He wasn’t some overlooked should of been McDonald’s All-American, but he was the best I ever saw play in high school. Last I heard he had been lighting up community colleges the same way.
I also knew a guy through a friend who ended up playing for UCLA either last year. His name is Matt Lee, but he wasn’t as good as Hummel was
July 17th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
B says:
@Austin - Yeah man, you nailed it earlier with your analysis/comments on both B-Roy and Nate-Rob so I didn’t have much to add on those two.
I’d agree and definitely say Wrenn was better than B-Roy in HS. His attitude and arrogance ended up getting the best of him though.
As good as Jamal was, Dickerson was just as talented. Arguably the best player on that Arizona championship team with Bibby, Simon, and JT.
Not sure if you’re familiar with Dennis Nathan, but he may have been the best out of the bunch. He was a 6′5″, built like LeBron, had the handle of a pg and 40+ inch vert. Won Oregon hs palyer of the year twice over Fred Jones. His life was a mess though. Mom was a drug addict and he ended up getting kicked off Fresno State when they found a felony on his record for selling crack @ age 14. Sad story. He ended up at Renton hs my junior year (his 5th yr) trying to finish up his eligibility reqs and the stuff he pulled off in practice and summer league was unreal.
Not too many people know of him, but those who do know the deal. I did a quick google search just to see what came up. Check the 3rd comment on this - http://blog.oregonlive.com/highschool/2007/08/a_look_at_oregons_best_of_08.html
Easy man, hope all is well for you up in the town.
July 17th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
B says:
@Austin - One last article from the Seattle Times - http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19980217&slug=2734992
July 17th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Dave says:
Seconded on Kenny Anderson. I saw him as a sophomore in a HS-All Star game in Harlem. His handle was amazing; the ball looked like a yo-yo on a string.
Lloyd “Sweet Pea” Daniels also played in that tournament and was the all-around dominant player.
July 17th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
ML says:
My Boy Brandon Hames. B-Hames dropped 40 on this weak ass squad. It was in Compton. Dunking anything insight, Jumpers, Fadeaways he was legit.
July 17th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
gwood22 says:
Schea Cotton was the sick.. I seen him drop 45 on stephon marbury in the Above the Rim tournament in San Diego.. He was killin everyone in cali from 94-97
July 17th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
the mamba says:
Really wished I could’ve seen lebron or kobe live in hs. One time I couldn’t get in the gym for a playoff double header.(n there were about 1,500 people outside. Just crazy people bum rushing security to get in) those two games featured tj ford, kenny taylor, daniel ewing, john lucas jr, emeka okafor, and lawrence roberts. That was a crazy scene outside with all those people piled up trying to sneak in though
July 17th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
doc says:
Best player in high school i ever seen was Kobe.I was in 8th when he was in 12th and he would come to Sonny Hill games/workouts and just embarass dudes.@G I remember that game with Reece Rice and Bron.Reece made him fall and the building went crazy.And by the time I got older Ed Griffin was the best.We played on the same summer league teams from 7th grade until college but when he got to 10th he was on another level.He was our top rebounder shotblocker dunker and 3 pt shooter.He was 1rst in the nation too.Thats my dude for real.I remember him giving me a ride to the crib after workouts every weekend and me filling his head up with go to the league fuck college talk.RIP ED.
July 17th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
doc says:
Juanny Wagner was definitly a problem too.
July 17th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Austin Burton says:
@B — I kind of remember Nathan’s name, but can’t say I ever saw him play. Thanks for the links, though.
@Yooo — When you said the “tre fo,” what were you referring to? You might be able to help us solve a Dime office mystery.
July 17th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Yoooo says:
the tre fo is winston salem, nc. think it stgands for the third city in the fourth county
July 17th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
sunni says:
schea cotton, chris burgess—
July 17th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
dapro says:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7fBmn6Ddx0
I mentioned em earlier, that’s just a lil taste of Ronnie Fields
Played 2 guard with KG at Farragut. We was Jr when Kg was a Sr
Freak athlete. Made some bad decisions that cost him his career
July 17th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Austin Burton says:
@Yooo — Josh Howard’s from there, right?
July 18th, 2008 at 12:52 am
murph diggity says:
Carl Jefferson from Rochester NY was a beast in high school he was only 5 8 but play like he was 6 6 he flew over crossed over shot over anyone in his way. Ask baron davis and elton brand about cj they know how serious his game was
July 18th, 2008 at 6:29 am
joe carey says:
felipe lopez hands down, was a beast for rice . Seen him at fordham u killing most mem moment him sitting on the hoop with the dominican flag eveyone was cheering. the he choose St johns HA ha game Over big time
July 18th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Big Shot BOB says:
I’d have to say Cardel Butler aka ballaholic from the And 1 mixtape tour. I went to middle school with this cat and even then he was taking on the whole gym 1 against like 6 or 7 guys and actually made everyone look stupid. The guy can straight ball. I mean a sick handle, automatic jimmy. Then off course by highschool he had grew to be 6′6 and could grab oops from the top of the backboard!!!
July 18th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Big Shot BOB says:
I’d have to say Cardel Butler aka ballaholic from the And 1 mixtape tour. I went to middle school with this cat and even then he was taking on the whole gym 1 against like 6 or 7 guys and actually made everyone look stupid. The guy can straight ball. I mean a sick handle, automatic jimmy. Then off course by highschool he had grew to be 6′6 and could grab oops from the top of the backboard!!!
Oh yeah this was in San Francisco, James Lick 1993
July 23rd, 2008 at 5:50 am
J-Black says:
On the real. Murph Diggity claims that Carl Jefferson was the best he ever seen and at 5′8″ was incredible when I played with him over by Manton Projects in Providence, Rhode Island. I can’t vouch for his HS status, but a year later I saw him do his thing at a JUCO school. He dropped 40 and 4 two handed flushes as if it was another day at the park. His game is rediculous.
My pick is Tony Robertson. He ended up at UCONN and just ask Caron Butler and Dermar Johnson what he did to their HS team! He dropped 36 on two future Lottery Picks and did it with ease while getting double teamed the whole game. Now that’s the truth. Or ask the poor kid over at LaSalle who he jumped over in the middle of the and dunked on him, only to be called for an offensive foul cause the kid flopped when Tony’s baggy shorts caught him in the forehead. 6,000 fans went nuts and Khalid El-Amin and Rip Hamilton were there to witness.
August 2nd, 2008 at 3:37 pm
peoples champ says:
gotta back Allen H-
Playrd against DeMarr Johnson when he was at MCI (with caron butler). He came out hit like 5 nba+ range threes like they were fouls shots- had 22 in the 1st and wasnt evenn close to sweating. He was cold
Tim thomas was a major problrnm in hs- grest strength , footwork and bunnys with guard skills at 6 10
August 10th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
JG says:
I’ve seen Lebron,Carmelo,but Dajuan Wagner impressed me the most. For his size he could do it all. Telfair was and still is over rated. Dajuan scored over 3200 pts in HS. That’s without counting the games his team had to forfeit. Look for him to comeback and be a star.