Swift has swiftly faded into obscurity, fodder for lists such as this. She started every game she played in as a freshman in 201617, contributing to her teams 195 record and trip to the state quarterfinals with game averages of 5.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 2.25 steals. It's still debatable. Chris Washburn's one moment makes him my choice." And even though phone and computer screens set what seemed to be unreasonable expectations, my own eyes could not believe what they saw. Cooke did have good times, first at Lane High in Brooklyn and then he moved on to La Salle Academy in Manhattan. 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. He then suffered the Portland-itis that so many other Blazers have suffered as recurring injuries kept him off the court. The most by a freshman since 2000, a gifted woman is the first rookie in NCAA Division I history with 12 30-point games. Because ESPN ranked her as the second best guard, more people started paying attention to what she had to say about the game. 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). Caitlin might have a future plan to reveal it, and if she does, regular readers will be aware of it. These four players, and many more, skipped college to jump straight from high school to the NBA to great results. Montverde Academy . He turned 17 at the end of his freshman year and had to sit out his entire senior year because he was too old to qualify for high school play. Clark stands tall at a height of 5 foot 11 inches. She also finished the season with the fourth-highest points per game average in Iowa history. She has been one of the basketball players in the United States who is on the rise. He is a Final Year Engineering student. I had no motivation to attend beyond my simple desire to verify the internet sensation with my own eyes. There was actually an HBO movie made about Manigault starring Don Cheadle entitledRebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault. Such was Garnett's maturity that he was able to bypass college and still exceed expectations. Best move: Uses a hesitation dribble to free the defender then shoots a 3-pointer or blows past for a lay-up. In the history of the NBA draft, 45 players have been taken directly out of high school. 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. 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. Telfair also had various run-ins with the law including multiple arrests for possession of weapons. Almost literally, because he resembled no player more than he did Shaquille O'Neal. Michael Beasley 2. Right after his junior prom, Tyler announced he was dropping out of school and heading overseas to start his pro basketball career. How Tall Is Grizzlies Star Player Desmond Bane? They either flamed out in college or flamed out in the pros which means the highpoint of their basketball careers came as teenagers. He played one year in Israel and one year in Japan before being drafted in the second round in 2011 by Charlotte. That is, until July 1, 2016 when he was banned from the league for two years for drugs. I don't mean potentially better, I mean better today. Bailey was LeBron before LeBron and had over 40,000 people coming to watch his high school games which remains an all-time attendance record. True, Washburn is now a cautionary tale, and always will be. McDonald's All-American. He was then traded to the Mavs but never played a game due to more psychological issues. How Tall is POP Star I Cant Breath Singer Bebe Rexha? Caitlin was born on January 22, 2002, in Des Moines, Iowa, and is currently 19 years old. The streets run ripe with ball players who had the talent but never played in the NBA for various reasons. 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. Although he played college ball at Cal State LA, Lewis is most notable forbeing arguably the greatest California streetball legends of all time. Jared McCain is a prominent face in high school basketball. These guys seemed destined for greatness, but they peaked in high school 15 Basketball High School Phenoms Who Never Made It In The NBA. I remember he dunked the ball so hard on a fast-break, the portable goal just collapsed to the ground. Not only was the wiry Jamison taller than most on the court, he was quicker too. 4 in MaxPreps Top 25 rankings. He says it was due to him smoking marijuana and abusing prescription drugs though many suspect some other drugs were in his system. You were drawn to Estaban. Tyreke Evans 3. In his 1985 recruiting class he was perceived to be better than Glen Rice, Danny Ferry, Sean Elliott, Pervis Ellison, Rod Strickland and Roy Marble - all who went on to have NBA careers. How Tall is Popular Singer and Star Actor Nick Lachey? Type above and press Enter to search. Know All About His Life! Back in the late '90s and early 2000s, there were far fewer, readily accessible media outlets that covered prep sports beyond a local level. Iowa Womens Basketball Point Guard Caitlin is confirmed to be 19 years of age. Telfair is 32 years old and last played in the NBA in 2014; however, his 40-year-old cousin, Stephon Marbury, has a better shot at rejoining the NBA than Bassy does. It featured Rashad Anderson, UConn's all-time leading 3-pointer shooter and former USC standout and first-round NFL Draft pick wide receiver Mike Williams, but he was easily their best player. Heck, there was no YouTube. It could be Williams' lack of desire or competitive fire, or maybe he didn't get a chance, sometimes it's as simple as that. Texas (575 Athletes) California (399 Athletes) Florida (389 Athletes) Illinois (308 Athletes) New York (299 Athletes) Georgia (294 Athletes) Get your votes in by noon Friday for our high school boys basketball player of the week for Feb. 20-25: Cast your vote in the poll at the bottom of the article or click here to vote. That meant more time on the bench for the main attraction. Let there be no doubt; LeBron James is the greatest player to transition from high school (the coed St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, Ohio) directly to the NBA. 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. Either way, they never really "made it" as a pro. It's baffling to think that at one point, Sebastian Telfair shared a Sports Illustrated cover spot with LeBron James and the two were hyped as the two players set to take over the NBA. Bryant lead the "Aces" to the Pennsylvania state title in '96, and in 2010, the school named their new gymnasium for the hoops legend. "Growing up in Charlotte in the mid-90s, it was impossible to ignore the hype surrounding a local basketball star named Antawn Jamison. Caitlin won the Big Ten Freshman of the Week award 13 times, a conference record. I was in the hunt for the starting point guard slot, a battle I'd eventually lose a couple games into the state AAU tournament at Disney's Wide World of Sports in Orlando. --and five NBA titles later, the rest is history. By the time Weaver reached high school, you couldn't get a seat at the gym. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. In recent years, Howard has dampened his stature as an NBA pro. "The common pushback against the absurdity that is a Zion Williamson high school highlight video is the level of competition facing Spartanburg Day School. His last known basketball activity was a tryout with the Warriors D-League team in 2016. Despite my best defensive efforts, Latta was able to score 54 points against my team, the future 4A State Champions. Although he never strutted his stuff in the NBA, Haynes played in two separate stints for the Harlem Globetrotters, mesmerizing the crowd with his style, pizzazz, and insane handle. Hes been arrested multiple times and has been charged with reckless driving, unlawful possession of a shotgun, and an armed home invasion. She is currently attending the University of Iowa and is likely to graduate in 2020. That also is where the aforementioned indelible moment happened. Who was the best high school basketball player you ever saw in person? The game meant something to us, but it was everything for him. Nicknamed 'Benji'. He went in the second round of the 1994 draft to the Pacers, his hometown team. And few ever played the game with such passion as Kevin Garnett, who transformed the culture of not one, but two NBA franchises. He was later recruited by Chicago's DePaul University, but was ruled academically ineligible. 8. He was a two-time All-Star in the Israeli League and at the age of 26 he could still get one more opportunity in the NBA. 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. Such was the case when my Tampa Raptors, a rag-tag, best of the rest team, consisting of a band of players not good enough to be scooped up by Nike or adidas' summer outfits. Samaki Walker, Michael Redd, Gary Trent and Kenny Gregory were must-see players too, but I can't remember a time when I was more excited to see a player for the first time than Weaver. He is also the only player in NBA history to be named Finals MVP despite being on the losing team. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. She was leading in the nation in assists (214), points (799), points per game (26.6), made field goals (266), and made 3-pointers (116), and second in assists per game (7.1) and 3-pointers per game (3.87). The splash of a Spaulding sphere is sweet to anyone who knows the game. Thirty-four years ago, it wasn't. 30. Needless to say they did it without Butler, who never did learn much about that work ethic. Selby was one of the best players to ever come out of the DMV area and he was the No. We all know what happened when Oden went pro as he was drafted by the Blazers first overall in 2007. Nick Fazekas-Ralston Valley High School- Mr. Basketball-Colorado" for the 2002-03 season along with being a two-time 4A classification player of the year. Those in the Columbus area who remember watching Weaver play in the '90s will tell you 100 variations of thissame legend. Ward didnt even become a starter until his senior season and by then the luster off his Naismith award had worn away. Will Spellman, Center Grove: Spellman had 18 points, six rebounds, four blocked shots and three assists as Center Grove defeated Brownsburg 61-60 in a top-10 matchup. Mayo AKA Grocery List was the consensus top player of the Class of 2007 and ahead of such players as Kevin Love, Blake Griffin and James Harden. Malone didn't need college; his last two years in high school, his team didn't lose a single game, taking back-to-back state titles in Virginia. 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? Conversely, the five listed as becoming bigger stars in the pros somehow exceeded the hype that was bestowed on them coming out of high school. Fans would always wonder, what if? 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). When Bailey was 14 years old, Indiana coach Bob Knight saw him play and said, Damon Bailey is better than any guard we have right now. He was rated the No. Hes looking at a future of second-rate foreign leagues and G-League appearances. Oh, what could have been. Shooting guard Fields became the first sophomore high schooler to play in the "Best of the Best" all-star game with the likes of Garnett and future NBA superstar Allen Iverson, and he justified the selection by becoming the number three all-time leading scorer in Chicago public league history. 6. Maggette was smooth and fun to watch doing everything on the floor." Her father participated in baseball and basketball at Simpson College. Mike DeCourcy. Manning ended up winning the MVP with 20 points; Washburn scored 18. In addition, she also retains the award of Iowa Gatorade Player-of-the-Year in 2019 and 2020. 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. Some context: less than three months before the Capital Classic, in mid-January 1984, top-ranked North Carolina beat fifth-ranked Maryland at Cole Field House, and the win was capped in the final seconds by one of Michael Jordan's most legendary dunks , a swooping breakaway rock-the-cradle jam, silencing the building except for a collective "oooooooohhhhh.". Caitlin Clark is a college basketball player who has been involved in the sport throughout her entire life. 9. How Tall Is WWE Beast Cody Rhodes? But damn are they fast." Follow Nonstop Sports Instagram - https://instagram.com/nons. It wasn't the best decision for each one, but for a select group of superstars, skipping college paid off. Alston. There might be a player or two in here you've never heard of. But, Wrenn was a troubled soul, who made emotional--rather than logical--decisions, and spent an uneventful college career bouncing from UConn to Washington, so his making it to the NBA was never really in the cards. 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. These guys peaked in high school as they were great players who just werent able to translate their skills to the pros. Meanwhile, we all know how Kevin Durant fared. How Tall Is Celebrity Singer Paula Abdul? We held the lead deep into the second half before he decided he'd had enough. Between 1995 and 2005, these nine future NBA All-Stars (including two future Hall of Famers) decided to skip college and head directly to the league. 1 overall pick to be sent down to the D-League. He was by far the best player to come out of Oakland. Nick Birdsong. 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. We were playing Salem at our small gym with a brick wall that was about 10 feet off the baseline. 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. She has amassed more than 10 thousand followers on her Instagram site. Swimming in National Player of the Year awards just a year after Kevin Garnett's successful leap from high school to the NBA, Bryant made the none-too-surprising decision to turn pro himself. West began his pro career with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1960. She doesnt appear to share anything about her private life with others, though. The 6-foot-3 senior guard committed to Duke earlier this year. With National Signing Day coming on Wednesday, Sporting Newsasks that question. He was selected in the first round of the 2003 draft (26th overall) by the Timberwolves, but was never suited for the pros and wound up playing overseas for one obscure team after the next. Cell phones throughout that crowd were set in video mode and trained on Williamson before he even finished his stretches. He decided to stay local and went to UNLV where he was good but played against inferior competition in the Mountain West Conference. 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. But I had seen what I needed to see: the most impressive display of human athleticism Ive ever witnessed in any athletic competition or showing. But Bryant's still not good enough to top this list. best high school basketball player that never made it. There's been an ongoing debate for years, even decades, on whether the "one and done" rule in the NBA should be liftedor if in fact, basketball players should spend even more time in college. 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.