Words. Patrick Cassidy

As a general rule, when brands like Nike or Jordan bless a top high school basketball program with their own player exclusive kicks, the result is serious.

One of our favorite follows, Nike Blog, has put together a cool gallery of all Jordan Brand High School PEs for this season. Just awesome. Check out the exclusive makeups in multiple models for Oak Hill, Montrose Christian and St. Pat’s: MORE >

Words. L.J. Rose

Second Baptist School (Houston, TX) junior L.J. Rose is one of the most gifted point guards in the country. Despite suffering from a nagging ankle injury all summer, he still had everyone from North Carolina to Arizona trying to lure him to their schools. Fresh off surgery to repair a fracture in his fifth metatarsal, Rose has agreed to give HSH exclusive access by chronicling his thoughts in a regular diary. In this entry he discusses everything from the contact period to his upcoming visit to North Carolina for “Late Night with Roy.” MORE >

Words. Casey Mack

Think about the greatest players in the game. Names like Jordan, Bird and Robertson come to mind. Most of these legends can be identified just by their last names, which rings bells in our basketball memories.

Many of today’s high school hoop stars have a familiar ring to their names. These players have the gift and curse of being connected to other greats of the game: It’s a gift that they know what it takes to be great, have inherited some talented DNA, and were often raised around the highest levels of basketball. However, they have big shoes and huge expectations to fill. MORE >

Words. Austin Burton

Chicago will always hold a special place in basketball lore. Playground legends from Billy “The Kid” Harris to Will “The Thrill” Bynum, local heroes from Ben Wilson to Kevin Garnett, homegrown pros from Isiah Thomas to Derrick Rose, and adopted sons from Michael Jordan to Scottie Pippen have all played a role in making the Windy City one of the world’s basketball hotbeds and a place where legacies are made.

Next spring, the city will host a new crop of rising stars, as the McDonald’s High School All-American Game returns to Chicago for the first time since 1982. 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. Jason Jordan

A few years ago, J-Mychal Reese might’ve been best-known as the smiling kid on the NBA Junior Hoops commercial who Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash jokingly said he named his dog after because Reese was so good.

Today, Reese, a 6-foot sophomore at Bryan (Texas) High School, is known as one of the top prep point guards in the country. That’s why it’s interesting that he doesn’t even start at the point on his own AAU team, Houston Hoops. That onus falls on Second Baptist (Houston) star L.J. Rose. MORE >