With the college basketball landscape flattening by the day, creating an environment where runs from programs like Florida Gulf Coast are more and more commonplace, the big guys need to work even harder to secure talent to keep them on a national stage.

Arizona State recognizes this fact and they’re not messing around, to the point where they have reportedly offered a 7th grader a scholarship (that would put him in the Class of 2018). It’s not just any 7th grader though, this kid is a problem. Read More »

The basketball legend of Chris Paul really began in 2002, when as a high school senior, Paul scored 61 points in one game to honor his grandfather, who had been killed just days beforehand. After he’d scored his 61st point, Paul missed a free throw on purpose to stay at that number for the 61 years Nathanial Jones lived.

Sheldon McClellan, a senior at Bellaire (Texas) High School who is ranked the 35th-best player in his class by Scout.com, made headlines similar to CP3 earlier this week when he honored a fallen former teammate with an emotional scoring explosion of his own. Read More »

Shabazz Muhammad was the breakout high school star of the summer. The 6-6 wing from Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV) was already rising through the rankings before he averaged 32 points per game on the AAU circuit and really blew up.

Now every school from North Carolina to Kentucky to Duke is in pursuit of Muhammad, a junior who is ranked 8th overall in the High School Hoop national Top 50. Muhammad has agreed to give HSH and Dime exclusive access by chronicling his thoughts in a regular diary where he’ll keep everyone updated on everything from his personal life to his high school season to his recruiting process. Here’s an excerpt from his latest entry: Read More »

As far as personalities go, Tony Wroten Jr. is a star in the making. The Garfield High School (Seattle, Wash.) senior guard is one of the Top-20 prep players in the nation, and only brings more attention to himself with his made-for-TV demeanor off the court.

Wroten is scheduled to announce his college decision on Thursday, but before that, he went on Twitter and put one very famous college coach on blast: Read More »

When it comes to ranking high school basketball players, opinions can run all over the map. One analyst may think a certain kid is Top-10 nationally, while another thinks that same kid isn’t even Top-5 in his own state. And because there’s no solid criteria — much like the NBA’s MVP award — it’s a system built to create varying opinions and lengthy arguments.

Except when it comes to Julius Randle. Read More »

Winter Park (Fla.) senior guard Austin Rivers is the best high school player in the country. After de-committing from Florida in April, Rivers allowed Duke, North Carolina and Kansas to give chase, making his one of the most captivating recruiting stories in the country.

The younger son of Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, Austin has agreed to give HSH and Dime exclusive access by chronicling his thoughts in a regular diary. In this entry he talks about one major development and in-home visits with his new top three. Here are some excerpts: Read More »

Once upon a time, high school basketball players were generally not as athletic as the pros. Back then, if you went to a high school game you were significantly less likely to see players go above the rim. Not anymore. We’ve come a long way since Hoosiers, to the point today where kids in the 15-to-18 year old set are unleashing the same — and sometimes better — level of vertical leap and style on their dunks as the grown-ups who get paid to do it. Read More »

Shabazz Muhammad was the breakout high school star of the summer. The 6-6 wing from Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) was already rising through the rankings before he averaged 32 points per game on the AAU circuit and really blew up.

Now every school from North Carolina to Kentucky to Duke is in pursuit of Muhammad, a junior who is ranked 8th overall in the High School Hoop national Top 50, and 3rd in his class by Scout. Muhammad has agreed to give HSH and Dime exclusive access by chronicling his thoughts in a regular diary where he’ll keep everyone updated on everything from his personal life to his high school season to his recruiting process. Here’s an excerpt from his debut entry: Read More »

Among high school and college basketball fans, the name Sonny Vaccaro rings bells nationwide. The noted power-broker has been attached to prep stars from Kobe Bryant to Brandon Jennings — he was basically Worldwide Wes before Worldwide Wes, but on an even more recognizable level within the industry’s structure.

Vaccaro has been laying low lately, but rumor has it he’s returning to the scene backed by rising sneaker company Li Ning. And if Vaccaro is back, we could see the return of his famous ABCD camp, formerly a summer proving ground where stars were made and reputations born. Read More »