Watching Jay Williams address the completely enrapt New Hampton Prep basketball team late Sunday night at the Hoophall Classic, it was clear he was firmly in his element. Basketball has obviously always been a big part of Williams’ life, but you could make a case he’s never been quite as immersed as he is now.

As an ESPN college basketball analyst, Williams splits his time between calling games and working on studio shows, while also commentating for the network’s rapidly expanding interest in high school ball. The latter assignment gives him the opportunity to take part in one of his favorite pastimes: mentoring young athletes. There isn’t a player on any level that doesn’t have the utmost respect for the former No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft, and he commonly takes time to pull players aside and offer a few words of wisdom. Read More »

Shabazz Muhammad certainly knows how to leave a lasting impression.

With about 30 seconds left in Bishop Gorman’s 73-65 victory over No. 5 Dematha at the Hoophall Classic on Monday, the No. 1 player in the Class of 2012 punctuated a 37-point performance with a sensational windmill dunk, later named No. 3 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays. Even Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, sitting two seats down from Kentucky counterpart John Calipari on the baseline, raised an eyebrow. Read More »

On Saturday, the second annual Under Armour Brandon Jennings Invitational was held in Milwaukee at Marquette University High School. Featuring 10 of the nation’s top high school basketball teams and some of the country’s best players – including Dime #65 cover boy Aquille Carr – you knew UA was going to take care of them. With that, check out the exclusive jersey and kicks for Carr and Baltimore’s Patterson High School. Read More »

A few weeks ago, Detroit dismantled St. John’s on national television. While this may have surprised a few people, it came as no surprise to hardcore basketball recruiting fans. Ray McCallum denied offers from the likes of Duke and Kansas to play for his father at Detroit. While it is unlikely that McCallum’s decision would have been for Detroit had his father not been the coach, his decision brought up an interesting question: should high-major recruits turn down big offers to play for lower-level schools? Read More »

High school players announce their college commitments almost every day and usually, unless it is one of the nation’s elite, blue-chip prospects, those announcements aren’t big news. Baltimore’s Aquille Carr may not be ranked as the country’s top high school prospect, but his announcement on Friday that he committed to Seton Hall certainly qualifies as a big deal. While we are fans of all ballplayers, few mean as much to Dime as the “Crime Stopper.” Read More »

There’s nothing more frustrating than football players trying to play ridiculously physical basketball. High schools are littered with them; playgrounds are overflowing with them. For obvious reasons, when you have this scenario, injuries explode. This reminds me a little bit of the times in AAU when I used to take full-on swings in an attempt to spike people’s shots into the stands. Sometimes it worked. But on one particular instance, I was off, clotheslined the kid and then in retaliation, got tackled later on in the game. Read More »

We’ve been huge fans of Shaquille Johnson for a while simply because you don’t see hops like these every day. We’re talking not in the NBA, overseas, on playgrounds and DEFINITELY not in high school. I’m scared for the guards that have to check him (and the big guys too) once this kid finally gets to Auburn. It could get ugly. Hit the jump for proof of why it’s not even a question that Johnson is the best high school dunker in the world. Read More »

Kevin Garnett. Dwyane Wade. Derrick Rose. Chicago has always been a basketball breeding ground, producing elite local talent. And in Ball So Hard, the first documentary from Life+Times, they follow three of the city’s youngsters – Chicago Orr’s Tyquone Greer and Whitney Young’s Jahlil Okafor and Paul White – with the potential to carry on in the city’s rich legacy. Read More »

We’re sure you already know, but the high school basketball season is heating up. In addition to nationally televised games, holiday tournaments are giving us some of the best highlights we’ve seen since the AAU circuit. As always, HighSchoolHoop.com has been all over everything, from the biggest news to amazing video highlights. See what you may have missed: Read More »

By now you need no introduction to Shabazz Muhammad. And as you’d expect, the nation’s best high school player right now dominated the 2011 summer circuit. The following mixtape features highlights from nearly everywhere he played this summer, and after watching, you’ll realize why we’re all witnessing a high school legend in the making. Read More »