Words. Jason Jordan

Back in April when the AAU season began, St. Marks School (Southborough, Mass.) forward Alex Murphy‘s strategy was simple: get better every game, every tournament, every day.

“I wanted to be able to notice my improvements,” said Murphy, a junior who is ranked 26th in the HSH National Top 50. “I put in a lot of hard work, and I felt like I should’ve been able to see the results.”

Mission accomplished. Murphy was named to the Elite 24 roster at the end of the summer, after he shined at the adidas Nations camp and several other tournaments and showcases. MORE >

Words. Jason Jordan

In the closing seconds of the Boost Mobile Elite 24 game at Venice Beach, Calif., last weekend, Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) point guard Quinn Cook came down awkwardly on his right knee.

The freak accident will cost Cook, a senior who is ranked No. 25 in the new HSH national Top 50, three to four months.

“I’ll be back though,” Cook told HSH Tuesday night. MORE >

Words. Jason Jordan

When listing the top point guards in the 2011 class, it’s hard not to mention Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) star Quinn Cook near the top.

All Cook has done is remain consistent throughout the summer while running DC Assault, win gold with USA Basketball’s under-17 team, and cap off the AAU season with an MVP performance at adidas Nations.

“It’s been fun,” said Cook. “There were things that I felt I could’ve done better, but all in all I was OK with how I did this summer.” MORE >

Words. dimemag

As August came to a close, we hit up the Boost Mobile Elite 24 and all of the events that came with it during the week heading into the game (see all of our coverage HERE).

For the second consecutive year, the athletes competing in the Elite 24 event got to see, feel and experience just what it takes to make it to the next level when they went through a performance training workout and combine drills with Under Armour TNP Performance Training Council member (and strength and conditioning coach for the Denver Nuggets) Steve Hess at Sports Club L.A. on the Upper East Side of Manhattan the day before the Elite 24 game. The following breakdown, photos and video show exactly what kind of next-level workout Hess put high school basketball’s best athletes through in order to let them know how hard they would have to work to take their game to an elite level. It was the same type of conditioning work that Hess puts Carmelo Anthony and the rest of the Nuggets through on a daily basis. MORE >

Words. Jason Jordan

Bishop O’Connell High (Va.) point guard Kendall Marshall has played in some of the most hostile environments that the prep basketball scene has to offer.

He’s been called names, threatened, yelled at and even had things thrown at him. Add in the fact that Marshall, a rising senior, is already committed to North Carolina and the scrutiny only intensifies.

“People have their own ideas about how a ‘North Carolina recruit’ should be playing,” says Marshall. Still, without having ever played there before, Marshall is quick to point out that “playing at Rucker Park won’t be like anything that I’ve ever experienced.” MORE >