Words. Aron Phillips

For a summer filled with so much uncertainty, one thing has become undeniably clear: Basketball has never been better. After an epic NBA Finals, pundits around the world saw July 1’s expiration of the collective bargaining agreement as the “End of Days.” Instead, we witnessed NBA superstars Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose and Chris Paul fly to the Philippines for an exhibition game; Kevin Durant, Brandon Jennings and John Wall hit every top-flight Pro-Am across the country; and two of the most well-known summer leagues – D.C.’s Goodman League and L.A.’s Drew League – battle for bragging rights in our nation’s capital.

But amongst all that, we could not help but find ourselves completely enraptured with an electric 5-7 point guard from Baltimore named Aquille Carr. MORE >

Words. Jason Jordan

Michael Jordan‘s 10th Jordan Brand Classic high school all-star game, one of the top showcases in the country, is moving from New York’s Madison Square Garden to Charlotte’s Time Warner Cable Arena, where Jordan’s Charlotte Bobcats play.

MSG was home to the Jordan game from 2005-2010, after the first three annual games were played in the D.C./Maryland area, around the time Jordan himself was playing for the Washington Wizards. This year’s game is scheduled for April 16, 2011. MORE >

Words. Austin Burton

As the youngest person and only current high schooler to make Dime’s ranking of the Top 25 dunkers in the world last month, Deuce Bello is high school’s resident standard bearer for above-the-rim antics. The 6-4 wing took the dunk contest crown at the Boost Mobile Elite 24 over the summer, and the only way he won’t be the odds-on favorite to win the McDonald’s All-American dunk contest is if he doesn’t make the All-American roster.

On Sunday, Bello may have (jokingly) bit off more than he can chew, however. On his Twitter page (@deucebello) he posted: MORE >

Words. Lucas Shapiro

As much as the Boston Celtics have put an indelible stamp on basketball history, the New England area hasn’t been known as a prolific breeding ground for basketball talent. In recent years, though, New England has been pumping out solid Division I players from the high school ranks, and right now the area may be at its most talented. MORE >

Words. Lucas Shapiro

Andre Drummond rose to #10 on the new HSH national Top 50 on the strength of his 2010 summer. The 6-10 center from St. Thomas Moore (Oakdale, Conn.) was everywhere, from Germany with the U-17 USA national team to Florida at the AAU nationals.

In a recent issue of Sports Illustrated, Drummond’s game was compared to a cross between Dwight Howard and Kevin Garnett. Here is some of the rising junior’s best work from this summer, where he played with the Connecticut Basketball Club:

Words. Austin Burton

Jermaine O’Neal has been a forgotten pioneer.

When people talk about the NBA’s preps-to-pros success stories, they usually lead with Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady, LeBron James and Dwight Howard. Despite being one of the first to make the leap successfully — reaching six NBA All-Star Games in his career — O’Neal is often overlooked. The year after KG set the trend in motion, Jermaine and Kobe were picked in the first round of the ’96 Draft. MORE >