Trying to explain to my girl why I was watching a press conference for a high school kid announcing his college decision, I described the reason for the hype behind Harrison Barnes as such:

“Remember when Grant Hill came along? He’s like that. He’s the Golden Boy.”

As good as Barnes is on the court, the 6-7 wing from Ames High School (Iowa) gets just as much praise for his intelligence, maturity, poise and overall good-guy demeanor off the court. Read More »

This last Thursday, forward Latavious Williams became the first high schooler to jump straight to the NBA since the League instituted its age limit in 2005. Oh, did I forget to mention that Williams went from graduation right into the NBA’s Development League?

You read right: the D-League. Read More »

If you are in the New York City area this weekend, make sure to check out the Sharette Dixon Classic on Sunday, November 8 at Bishop Ford HS in Brooklyn. The charity basketball game will honor former St. John’s assistant coach Kimani Young’s late wife Sharette Dixon, a well respected former professor, and will raise money for her children’s education fund. The showcase will feature some of New York’s and New Jersey’s best high school players like Kyrie Irving, JayVaughn Pinkston and Tobias Harris. NYC Legends Kenny Smith and Kenny Anderson along will also be on hand to support. The Girls’ showcase will start at 4 am and the Guys’ showcase will take place at 6 pm.

Harrison Barnes is the best high school ballplayer in the country. While navigating through the hectic recruiting process such a title entails, the 6-6 wing from Ames, Iowa, agreed to chronicle his thoughts for us during each of his five official visits. After North Carolina, Oklahoma, Kansas and Duke, Barnes recaps his trip to UCLA last weekend. Here are a couple excerpts: Read More »

The Big Apple has always been good to LeBron James, so The King wanted to do something special to show his appreciation. Tomorrow, Saturday, November 7th, LeBron is giving the “Gift of the Game” to New York City by opening up seven gyms for high school ballplayers. From 1:00 PM until 6:00 PM, various gyms throughout the city will be open for you to play. Be sure to get in a run at the following locations: Read More »

Harrison Barnes is the best high school ballplayer in the country. As the 6-6 wing from Ames, Iowa, navigates through the hectic recruiting process such a title entails, he agreed to chronicle his thoughts for us during each of his five official visits. After UNC, then Oklahoma, then Kansas, Barnes recaps his trip to Duke last weekend. Here’s an excerpt: Read More »

I’ve told you about the perks of my job before, and yesterday was no different. Our friends at Reebok flew me and a couple other writers down to Boston to visit Lynn English High School, whose basketball squad holds the No. 1 spot in the preseason rankings. Read More »

Caron Butler was on hand for the House of Hoops grand opening in D.C. on Sunday, October 25. Prior to the store’s opening - which is located inside The Mall at Prince Georges in Hyattsville, MD - over 100 kids participated in a free basketball clinic hosted by Chainlink Fundamentals at the Capital Sports and Learning Complex. After the clinic, the kids were bussed over to the mall where they got to see Caron participate in a q&a. Read More »

Harrison Barnes is the best high school ballplayer in the country. As the 6-6 wing from Ames, Iowa, navigates through the hectic recruiting process such a title entails, he agreed to chronicle his thoughts for us during each of his five official visits. First up was UNC, then Oklahoma; now Barnes recaps his trip to Kansas for “Late Night in the Phog” during the weekend of Oct. 16. Here’s an excerpt:

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After seeing them practice and play, I can see why people say that they’re No. 1 in the country. Read More »

At this point, Coach K and the Duke Blue Devils are in that elite class of college programs who can pretty much pick and choose who they want to play for them rather than ever “settling” for certain recruits. But even then, it’s not so easy putting together a powerhouse.

For the majority of this decade, Duke hasn’t had the best luck with five-star high school point guards. Read More »