Words. Lucas Shapiro

With the high school hoop season still getting underway, one last look at the summer that was can’t hurt. This mix from Crusader22 features a lot of New England’s finest, but includes cameos by stars across the country like Deuce Bello, Wayne Blackshear and Quincy Miller, to name a few.

Words. Lucas Shapiro

Through hard work, dedication, and pure love for the sport, Nils Wagner has brought his video mixing company, HoopMixtape, to the top of its game. We often post his videos on High School Hoop — like this latest mix with Quincy Miller and Deuce Bello — and recently I was fortunate enough to get to talk to Nils himself. With thousands of avid basketball fans watching his videos daily, Wagner’s company as become a major force in showcasing the talents of high schoolers across the country to the masses who may otherwise never see them play until their senior-year All-American games. MORE >

Words. Lucas Shapiro

With the NCAA’s early signing period in full effect, Kentucky is once again making headlines. For the third straight year, John Calipari has lined up the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation — his 2011 haul includes Michael Gilchrist (St. Patrick, NJ), Marquis Teague (Pike, IN), Anthony Davis (Perspectives Charter School, IL) and Kyle Wiltjer (Jesuit, OR).

As a 6-9, 220-pound forward coming out of the Northwest with a wide-ranging offensive skill set, Wiltjer has naturally drawn some comparisons to Kyle Singler and Luke Jackson, but a closer look at his game reveals more accurate comparisons. We talked with the reigning Elite 24 co-MVP about those comparisons, Canadian basketball, and his hobbies off the court: MORE >

Words. Lucas Shapiro

How many players have hit buzzer-beaters in the Boston Garden? The first people that come to mind are John Havlicek, Larry Bird and Paul Pierce. So while kids from all over the world dream of hitting a game-winning shot on the parquet floor of the Garden, Rene Castro got to realize that dream two seasons ago as a high school freshman.

And after hitting that clutch shot that helped Milton High School advance to the Division II MIAA State Finals, Castro has blown up on the New England and national basketball scene ever since. MORE >

Words. Lucas Shapiro

When the Hoop Group Top 100 Showcase came to Boston last year, Akosa Maduegbunam was just being discovered. The 6-3 guard/forward had the physical tools to become a good player, and after blowing up that summer, Maduegbunam became known as one of the top players in Massachusetts.

When his shot is falling, Maduegbunam (Charlestown H.S.) cannot be contained. Boston University, New Hampshire, Harvard, Virginia Tech, Drexel, Siena and Northeastern have already shown interest. Check out the damage he did in a recent game at BU during this year’s Hoop Group Top 100:

Words. Lucas Shapiro

From showing out at the LeBron James Skills Academy to dominating for Team Canada at the Nike Global Challenge, Khem Birch established himself as one of the top high school players in North America this summer.

The Class of 2012 forward/center — who has often been compared to a young Kenyon Martin — is ranked 37th overall in the HSH National Top 50. He played last year at Winchendon Academy (MA) before transferring to Notre Dame Prep (Fitchburg, MA) for his upcoming junior season. MORE >