For this particular list, we take a look at those basketball phenoms that are termed "Prep-to-Pro," meaning thatno college was deemed necessary for this or that particular player to achieve success in the National Basketball Association. Although he played college ball at Cal State LA, Lewis is most notable forbeing arguably the greatest California streetball legends of all time. Caitlin began playing basketball when she was a freshman in high school and quickly established herself as one of the top players at her school. He also had 14 points, eight rebounds, six blocked shots and three assists in a 57-46 win over Columbus North. "Moments usually stick with you longer than stats, which is why on the surfaceit makes no sense to mention Chris Washburn in a conversation about the best high school players anybody ever saw. Pee Wee Kirkland, another legend of Rucker Park, made a name for himself in two highly distinct ways: as a drug kingpin and superstar basketball player. In addition, she also retains the award of Iowa Gatorade Player-of-the-Year in 2019 and 2020. We were playing Salem at our small gym with a brick wall that was about 10 feet off the baseline. I had no motivation to attend beyond my simple desire to verify the internet sensation with my own eyes. High school basketball player videos, pictures, profiles, and high school basketball recruiting information. Layups, jumpers, dunks; they were off his fingertips like electrostatic sparks. Thus he didnt enroll until December 2013 but was then suspended 12 more games after it was revealed that he received improper benefits while in high school. Though Bryant was drafted #13 overall by the Charlotte Hornets, of course, such an obscure franchise was beneath Kobe's destined greatness, so he promptly engineered a curious trade to the Los Angeles Lakers (for Vlade Divac?) A knee injury wiped out his entire third season and by the time he was healthy, the SuperSonics were becoming the OKC Thunder and Kevin Durant was the young superstar. His unstoppable offensive drives, clutch defense, dominating physicality and sheer will to win are an almost incomparable combination; and only playing some great Spurs and Warriors teams in the NBA Finals over the years has prevented "The King" from owning more than three crowns at this point in his career. 3. Damon Bailey was LeBron James before LeBron James, in the sense that he was so hyped up as a high school prospect and he drew tens of thousands of fans to see him play. Dwight Howard's decision to forego college was influenced by KG, who went from high school stardom in Chicago at Farragut Career Academy directly to stardom in the pros. We take an in-depth look at the greatest high school hoopers ever, and how their stats compare. Players who made the most successful jumps from high school to the NBA, The paths of KD and Kyrie: How one month changed three franchises and two superstar legacies, Morant to miss two games after video with gun, Grizzlies' Clarke tore Achilles, out for season, 'Not going out this way': Nets, down 28, stun C's, Kerr touts 5-0 homestand: Dubs 'turned a corner', KD: Mavs tilt, Kyrie meeting 'just another game', Sources: Dragic joining Bucks for rest of season, Nets filling out big-man depth with Noel signing, Isaac has surgery on adductor, done for season. ARLINGTON, Texas - For Arlington Martin High School, Tuesday was the biggest game of the post-season.. D.J. Tadd Haislop. For every teenage phenom that comes along, there are many who go into the pros at a young age and they clearly aren't ready for the added responsibilities that come with being a pro athlete. He started in the McDonald's game and the Capital Classic, then nearly on a par with the McDonald's game in national prestige. He was seen as the surer thing between he and fellow top prospect Kevin Durant, whom many felt wouldn't last in the NBA due to his lanky frame. Thornton, which played in the second game against King, had its team loaded with athletes that year, featuring future college stars Melvin Ely (Fresno State power forward), Antwaan Randle El (Indiana quarterback) and Napoleon Harris (Northwestern linebacker). If only he couldve put basketball before everything else. We all know what happened when Oden went pro as he was drafted by the Blazers first overall in 2007. He went in the second round of the 1994 draft to the Pacers, his hometown team. Swift would play a total of 97 games in the NBA and experience more problems off the court. He also set a state record for blocked shots in a game--and he did that in the very first half of his very first game! (July 2022 update: Since the publication of this list in July 2020, 13 of the players on the list have been selected in the NBA Draft, including a No. The Capital Centre didn't react with an "ooohhhhh,"but with an explosion of "WHOAAAAAAA! (This time, it included me, as I was again seated behind the same basket he slammed on). Her 799 points set a freshman record, while her 39 points in one game broke a previous school mark. 1 prospect, was outplayed by an unknown player named LeBron James who would then supplant Cooke as the top player in the country. The Philadelphia 76ers selected Raymond Lewis with the No. The nation's top high school basketball players used to be able to go straight to the draft. But at that peak, he was years before his time. Ebi was well regarded after leading Westbury Christian Academy to three Texas state titles, but then the forward made the crucial mistake of thinking he was better than he actually was, and skipped college. In fact, Oden was ranked as USA Today's top high school player since the 1982-83 season, which means he was ranked higher than the likes of Kevin Garnett and LeBron James. It's unfortunate Ebi didn't make it in the NBA. However, Ryan did have his moment in the sun, starring at John Jay High in Brooklyn, where he averaged 26 points a game as a guard with a deadly shot during the late 1970s. When you've put on the "classic" uniform of basketball franchises like Lokomotiv Mineralnye Vody and Bnai HaSharon, who needs the Celtics or the Lakers? There's no big tragic story behind Williams' failures; he appears to have not been good enough, at least for any teams to believe in him to sign him and actually play him. Buta lack of inner motivation proved to be a distraction, and the closest Ryan ever came to the NBA was a tryout he had with the then-New Jersey Nets in 1990. The center/power forward's other "claim to fame" is being the first player to ever skip college basketball and go directly to the minors, the NBA's Tulsa 66ers, a franchise in the former "NBA D League", now called the NBA G League. It is so appropriate that this entry of Fields as a "Never Was" directly follows our previous "Became Bigger"--Kevin Garnett--because the pair were actually high school teammates at Chicago's Farragut Academy. Therefore, in most of these cases, as you shall discover, college probably would have been a good idea for the player in question. Earl Manigault was a legendary basketball player with unbelievable hops. Right after his junior prom, Tyler announced he was dropping out of school and heading overseas to start his pro basketball career. Caitlin Clark is a college basketball player who has been involved in the sport throughout her entire life. She also won awards including Iowa Miss Basketball, Gatorade State Player of the Year, and the McDonalds All-American title. Bill Bender. Best High School Boys Basketball Player in Every State 2022: West By Tony Adame on October 24, 2022 Twitter Stadium Talk's annual preseason list of the best high school boys basketball player in all 50 states is upon us, and we're trying something new and exciting this year by dividing the stories up into regions. The nights watching tournament games at the State Fairgrounds in Columbus affectionately known as the 'The Barn' were the best. Trey Buchanan, Westfield: The junior guard had a career-high 32 points on 10-for-15 shooting from the 3-point line in a 59-32 win over Frankfort. Only two members of the Fab Five II would go on to play in the NBA: Maceo Baston and Maurice Taylor. After one year at USC Mayo joined the NBA where he wasnt the star that many expected but was still a serviceable role player. Others achieve college stardom. He decided to stay local and went to UNLV where he was good but played against inferior competition in the Mountain West Conference. "Like dating, the Internet has taken the mystery out travel basketball. You were drawn to Estaban. The rest is a cautionary tale seen here in this Homage documentary , but for the sake of a modern comparison it felt like watching Derrick Rose and Vince Carter at the same time. However, there is another group of players who were better served in going to college than skipping it. Two state marks, including the 5A record for most points scored in a game and most 3-pointers made in a game, are held by the young athlete. That meant more time on the bench for the main attraction. Of the 44 players who have been drafted straight out of high school, Robert Swift remains the only white player to go from prep-to-pro. A 2008 documentary that follows the lives of 8 of the best high school basketball prospects at the time leading up the 1st annual Boost Mobile Elite 24 Hoops Classic at Rucker Park. His post-career life (as well as his college and NBA days) proved that his peak was at age 17. Throughout the regular season, many Oklahoma high school girls basketball stars made their cases for consideration of The Oklahoman's Super 5 Player of the Year. It's still debatable. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. For the last three seasons hes played for three different teams in the Chinese Basketball Association. USA Today has named its top high school player since the 1982-83 season. In fact, Oden was ranked as USA Today's top high school player since the 1982-83 season, which means he was ranked higher than the likes of Kevin Garnett and LeBron James. In 2014 he grew tired of the NBAs minor league system and headed back overseas. 'Estaban.' Nicknamed 'Benji'. Candler was 12-for-17 from the field and 4-for-5 from the free-throw line to finish with 28 points, eight rebounds and three assists. And, man, he was mean out there, almost menacing, grimacing and snarling as he imposed his will on you. Some of these high school phenoms did decide to go to college but they still werent able to relive the glory from their high school days. He died of natural causes back in 2015 at the age of 89. Of the 10 players who started in the 2013 Jordan Brand Classic, nine of them were either drafted or are currently in the NBA including Joel Embiid, Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker. However, he can thank Calipari for not giving him the option of returning to Memphis as Wagner made over $8 million in the NBA and he wouldnt have made a dime had he gotten sick while in college. That was near the end of the regular season in 1990. Sara Jane Harris. Bryant, the son of former NBA player Joe Bryant, was regarded as the top high school player in the entire nation in 1996 when coming out of Lower Merion High School in the Philadelphia suburb of Ardmore. He then suffered the Portland-itis that so many other Blazers have suffered as recurring injuries kept him off the court. Shes a stunning basketball player with a well-built body. First player in Chicago history to ever be named top high school player in the nation in 1983-84. From then until I moved out of Pittsburgh in 1993, I went to the Dapper Dan every year. Last week, we unveiled our top high school basketball team in each state and today we are digging . When Butler was with the 2006-07 San Antonio Spurs, a very telling comment by coach Gregg Popovich revealed the player's true nature: "Most of (Butler's) playing time in the initial part of the season is going to be in practice, learning what a work ethic is day in and day out and what it takes to play at this level.". In this blog post, we are going to talk about the Best High School Basketball Player That Never Made It. I have no idea how many points Williamson scored that day, but I do remember being disappointed when the game turned into a blowout. He made a small Catholic high school in California one of the top 25 teams in the country and after a strong showing in the 2004 McDonalds All-American game, Swift went pro. Drafted in the 2000 NBA Draft after putting on a show in numerous high school all-star games he was so spectacular that Michael Jordan endorsed the Clippers taking him near the top of the. For 15 year old Ryan Chian, love of basketball won't fade away. "We talked about the legend in the cafeteria. For head coach Kristin Meyer of West Des Moines Dowling High School, Caitlin started all four years. I'd never seen such a blend of speed, power and ferocity on the court. How Tall Is Basketball Player Caitlin Clark? With his height, physical attributes and skill level, it's not hard to believe that Howard led his high school, the blandly named Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy to a 31-2 record and the 2004 Georgia state title. He was a good four-year starter in college, but hardly lived up to the hype he built in high school. Lamborghinis are known for their luxury and class in addition to their performance and speed. But then Jackie decided he was too good to go to the University of Tennessee and declared for the NBA Draft. The scant highlight clips available in those prehistoric days for videoshowed a kid who looked like the next evolutionary stage of the game. Unfortunately, Gathers also had an abnormal heartbeat and it proved to be something even he couldnt overcome. Caitlin Clark is an accomplished basketball player born and raised in Iowa, USA. But it became clear very soon that Bailey had peaked in high school. Except now he's got Magic Johnson's head on Karl Malone's body, and it's even more frightening." Whether it was bad luck, bad advice, or tragedy, here are the top 5 football / basketball players who never made it in their professional sports league. I don't remember how many points or how many dunks, but what stood out was his ball-handling skills and ability to spin through traffic with an effortless grace I've never seen at the high-school level since. Lance . On the day before his senior year at Simeon High School, Wilson was shot and killed, sending shockwaves through the city of Chicago and the rest of the country. Some ballers opted not to enter the league for monetary reasons (back in the day, most NBA players made meager, five-figure salaries). Initially, he committed to Louisville after a stellar run at Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, but extenuating circumstances prompted him to change his mind and declare for the 2004 draft. They arent All-Star caliber players but they still made tens of millions of dollars and proved right in their decisions to skip college. Washburn, from Hickory, N.C., was 6-11, 230-plus pounds, ran the floor like a forward, handled like someone eight inches shorter and 50 pounds lighter, shook backboards with his dunks and blocked everything in sight. Thirty-four years ago, it wasn't.