Words. Patrick Cassidy

Back in the summer of 2006, the final of the Nike Peach Jam saw a monstrous Mean Streets Express AAU squad lock up with Team Final in the championship game.

Not only did the game come down to the wire in overtime, but it also prominently featured three future NBA stars going after each other: Derrick Rose and Eric Gordon on Mean Streets, and Tyreke Evans on Team Final.

‘Reke finished with 22 points, while Gordon led all scorers with 29. D-Rose ended up with 20, but it was his slicing drive past Tyreke in the final seconds of OT that sealed the deal.

Our friends at Hoopmixtape have the footage. Watch it here: MORE >

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. 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. Austin Burton

It’s no secret that every high school star is looking ahead to a potential future in the NBA, but thanks to the League’s rulebook, any talk of “the next level” for now has to apply to college ball (or an overseas pro league).

With the NCAA season getting underway last week, we’ve gotten a look at some of the national Class of 2010′s best in their freshman debuts. Here is a recap of how the members of last season’s Dime/2K Sports H.S. All-American Team fared early in their next-level careers: MORE >

Words. Jason Jordan

We’re not so self-absorbed that we think our Top 10 list is gospel; let’s just say any argument that can be made to tweak this list can be countered masterfully.

Obviously, it’s tough to pick just 10 point guards over the course of a decade, but we decided the criteria would be based solely on what each player did at the high school level. We don’t care about college busts, NBA accolades, or catchy dances — it’s all about what a player did in high school and how dominant he was doing it. Here are the Top 10 high school point guards from 2000 to 2010. Let the debate begin… MORE >