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. Which is a shame because the guy was insanely talented. Unfortunately, once Wagner reached the NBA his body started to fail him as he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and ended up having to remove half his colon. And Washburn took off and threw down the exact same dunk. 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. Pretty sure I gave him the same look. 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. First player in Chicago history to ever be named top high school player in the nation in 1983-84. Know About Her Amusing Dating History. On the other hand, she can currently make a respectable living as a college player. Nonetheless, she has a chance to be selected by a WNBA team in the upcoming days, and if that occurs, she will make almost as much as the stated sums. Williams wound up being a "Summer League" player, when real ballers want to hoop in the winter and spring. It certainly seemed at the time as if only Jordan himself could even have matched that any time in our lifetimes. Top 6 High School Basketball Players in California History Guard - Jason Kidd, St. Joseph Notre Dame (Alameda), 1989-92 Courtesy of The Sacramento Bee Jason Kidd, St. Joseph Notre Dame A four year starter, a two-time state Player of the Year and the National Player of the Year as a senior, Kidd was the most canonized prep in state history. Telfair played for nine NBA teams in 10 years and spent some time overseas as well, never living up to the incredible hype. Watch James make one routine trip down the court and the whole package hits you at once: the size, the skills, the awareness, the competitiveness. MORE: What drives LeBron's next decision? Tadd Haislop. She was an incredible shooter and I had NEVER seen handles like that, ever." Seconds after throwing down a vicious alley-oop during the 1990West Coast Conference tournament championship game, Gathers unexpectedlycollapsed. The No. Caitlin keeps her focus on her goal at all times. He attacked the rim like it had stole something from him. Either way, while these talented basketball players never made it to the National Basketball Association, they certainly had the game required to do so. Dakota Candler, South Knox: The 6-5 senior made the game-winning three-point play in the final seconds as South Knox defeated Pike Central 60-58. This is who we would take. Brandon Jennings 5. This is what I wrote in Sporting News after seeing LeBron James play as a rising junior at the 2001 ABCD Camp in New Jersey: 'Some baby boomers who've got me by a few years make a big deal of the first time they saw The Beatles on 'The Ed Sullivan Show.' Young is another entry on this list who was so good he starred at two high schools--and he did it in two different states; both Wichita East High School (a coed public school in Kansas) and Hargrave Military Academy (a private, all-male boarding school in Virginia). Weve watched our fair share of ESPNs 30 for 30 documentaries, yet few affect us as much as, BENJI, the story of Ben Wilson, Chicagos pride and joy and the best high school basketball player in the country. Sean Marbaugh, Cathedral: The student manager got a chance to suit up on senior night and made the most of it by scoring a basket in the fourth quarter of a 67-55 win over Zionsville. His post-career life (as well as his college and NBA days) proved that his peak was at age 17. As I was sitting on the baseline under the very basket he threw it down on, covering the game for the Black Explosion student paper, I was one of the few who refrained from oooh-ing, but not because the dunk hadn't earned it. Bennett was an unmitigated bust in the NBA and became the first No. That's where I saw him, Wearing straight-back cornrows, he was laced in a Tracy McGrady Nike Swingman jersey with a oversized grey tee beneath it, a gleamy gold chain with a matching medallion, shin-length jean shorts (Hey, that was the wave back then), and a pearly white pair of mid-top Air Force 1s. Teenage almost-seven-foot Chris Washburn doing it was like seeing man walk on the moon. Meanwhile, we all know how Kevin Durant fared. 9. In 1984, as a senior, he was the Parade Magazine co-player of the year with none other than Danny Manning. Complex Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. But Baldwin is also . 6. At O'Dea, Wrenn averaged astronomical per-game-numbers for an entire season; 22 points, over eight boards and seven assists. He dominated the Georgia basketball scene that year, leading. With five players ranked in the 2023 ESPN 100 and four more ranked in the 2024 ESPN . Despite being an unathletic, overweight and undersized power forward, the Cavs thought he was worthy of the top pick of the 2013 draft. 1. However, since breaking Duke's all-time scoring. played in two separate stints for the Harlem Globetrotters, arguably the greatest California streetball legends of all time, drug kingpin and superstar basketball player, fair share of ESPNs 30 for 30 documentaries. In the state tournament shortly thereafter, Burnson had perhaps the greatest performance in Massachusetts high school basketball history: 42 points against Bishop Feehan in the state tournament at Boston Garden. For 15 year old Ryan Chian, love of basketball won't fade away. Greg Oden did in fact spend a year in college after being hyped up as a future superstar in the NBA. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. "It's like playing with your brother in the backyard," said Panguitch coach Clint Barney. Her favourite NBA player is Kevin Durant, and Maya Moore was her basketball role model when she was little. These prodigies are so unique that when we catch them early on, it's always more special than if we discover them with the rest of the masses. But even though he was talented, Smith had psychological issues before even joining the NBA as he suffered from neglect as a child and was moved to an Illinois foster home. Right after his junior prom, Tyler announced he was dropping out of school and heading overseas to start his pro basketball career. Malone was a three-time NBA MVP (1979, 1982 and '83), and in 1981 took alackluster Houston Rockets team all the way to the NBA Finals, before Larry Bird and Kevin McHale won their first title with the Boston Celtics. Sara Jane Harris. Daniel Tippit, New Palestine: The senior hit a 30-footer in New Palestines 61-31 win over Greenwood on senior night as the Dragons finished off a 21-2 regular season. Only twice has a player won the award two times: LeBron James and Greg Oden. 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. Along with teammate Chris Monroe, Roger led Good Counsel to the WCAC tournament finals. All eight players went on to play in the NBA. During his four seasons at Maryland, Len Bias averaged 16.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, was a two-time ACC Player of the Year, and earned All-American honors in 198485 and 198586. COMPLEX participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means COMPLEX gets paid commissions on purchases made through our links to retailer sites. There are other players like J.R. Smith, Kendrick Perkins and Monta Ellis who also went the prep-to-pro route and churned out serviceable NBA careers. Kevin Love 6. He also attracted the biggest of stars as LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony attended some of his high school games. --and five NBA titles later, the rest is history. Like Antoine Walker and Juwan Howard before him, Smith was thought to be the next All-Star big man to come from Chicago. That pretty much sums up the professional "career" of Cisse, who lead Montgomery Catholic High School in Alabama to a state title in 1999. Other stories are more positive; some international players elected to ball out and stack paper in their home country instead of making the leap to the States. He probably scored 30-plus points, and I'm not sure I ever saw him put the ball on the floor. Jerod Ward was supposed to be the centerpiece of this second wave of Michigan freshmen after winning the Naismith Prep Player of the Year award in Mississippi in 1994. But damn are they fast." Cooke declared for the 2002 NBA Draft after three different teams promised him they would draft him. The top three-ranked players in the Class of 1998 all jumped straight from high school to the NBA. For this piece, let's take a look at the 10 best basketball players to never play in the NBA. Demetrius Hook Mitchell may have only been 5-foot-9, but the man who could jump over a Volkswagen was a legend on the playgrounds of Oakland. Oden was already being called the next Patrick Ewing or the next Tim Duncan when he was just 16 years old. Those in the Columbus area who remember watching Weaver play in the '90s will tell you 100 variations of thissame legend. D.J. Her father participated in baseball and basketball at Simpson College. Jake Gyllenhaal Dating History: Heres Look At His Dating History Over The Years! The most vivid thing I remember was how fast Jamison would get his shot off after catching a pass. What happens if an high school basketball star decides to throw a "direct to the NBA Draft" party and no one decides to show? Mayo became the first player in 10 years to be banned by the NBA. How Tall is POP Star I Cant Breath Singer Bebe Rexha? The Trail Blazers saw Oden's career dwindle, with his knees never being able to hold up. However, Manigault should be glad he never made it to the NBA, because he became much more famous being a "never made it" as opposed to some obscure player who rode the bench for a couple of meaningless NBA seasons. The Philadelphia 76ers selected Raymond Lewis with the No. Follow Nonstop Sports Instagram - https://instagram.com/nons. A stint with the 76ers summer-league team would be the next-closest Young would get to the NBA and he would toil in various minor leagues around the world. She also won awards including Iowa Miss Basketball, Gatorade State Player of the Year, and the McDonalds All-American title. Young was a talented small forward from Kansas but even his high school coach was surprised he opted to skip college. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. We all know what happened when Oden went pro as he was drafted by the Blazers first overall in 2007.
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