Words. Austin Burton

Gary Bell lives for the big moment, so it’s understandable that he would get impatient waiting three years to shine in his own city.

No matter how many buckets and accolades Bell, a 6-2, 200-pound combo guard, racked up at Kentridge High School (Kent, WA), he was always second on the marquee under All-American Josh Smith at rival Kentwood High, who cast a 6-10, 300-pound shadow over the South Puget Sound League and the state of Washington’s prep scene in general. MORE >

Words. Shabazz Muhammad

Few players, if any, had as productive a summer as Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV) shooting guard Shabazz Muhammad — evidenced by his 32 ppg scoring average on the AAU scene. Now every school from North Carolina to Memphis to Duke is in hot pursuit, making for one of the most intriguing recruiting stories in the country.

Muhammad, a junior who is ranked No. 8 in the HSH National Top 50, has agreed to give us exclusive access by chronicling his thoughts in this regular diary where he’ll keep everyone updated on his high school season and the recruiting process: MORE >

Words. Jason Jordan

We caught up with Austin Rivers just before he boarded a plane to Boston to support his dad, Celtics head coach Doc Rivers, for tonight’s NBA regular-season opener against the Miami Heat.

Asked who he’d picking to win the big game, Austin said, “I think you know the answer to that!”

Touché on the “who,” but what about the “why?” MORE >

Words. Jason Jordan

When the game is on the line and there’s only time for one more shot, it doesn’t require a coaching genius to surmise that the best chance you’ve got to emerge victorious is to get the ball into the hands of your scorer. Often times, that player is the shooting guard.

Just like when I ranked the Top 10 point guards of the last decade, this ranking of the 10 best two-guards of the decade is solely based on what each player accomplished in high school and AAU ball. I’m not factoring in college stats or NBA Draft position — it’s all about what you did before you got there, with a heavy emphasis on the AAU circuit against the best players in the country. Let the debate begin… MORE >

Words. Jason Jordan

Try as he may, Rodney Purvis has the darnedest time blocking out other people’s expectations of him. Still, when you’ve been dubbed “The Next Big Thing” since you were 13, the microscope is impossible to juke-out, even if Purvis is one of the craftiest guards in the country.

“It’s hard to please everyone,” says Purvis. “That’s why I’m not big on attention.”

He’s well aware that such an early anointment is as much a curse as it is a gift, often times more of the former, and on some level that worries him. MORE >

Words. Austin Rivers

Although just a junior, Winter Park (Fla.) point guard Austin Rivers is the 5th-rated prospect in the HSH Top 50. He’s been verbally committed to Florida for over a year, but this fall, Rivers decided to open things up and let Duke recruit him as well, making his one of the most captivating recruiting stories in the country.

The younger son of Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers and younger brother of Indiana University PG Jeremiah Rivers, Austin has agreed to give HSH exclusive access by chronicling his thoughts in this regular diary where he’ll keep everyone updated on everything from his personal life to his high school season to his thoughts on Duke and Florida. MORE >