Words. Austin Burton

To get at the heart of what makes Marcel Smith tick on the basketball court, just ask him to compare his game to an NBA player. While you might expect a 5-foot-7, 155-pound teenager from the Midwest to name Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook — maybe even Will Bynum — Smith has an unconventional answer: Derek Fisher.

It speaks to the maturity of Smith, a senior point guard at Melvindale (Mich.) Academy of Business and Technology that he’d name an unspectacular player like D-Fish, the five-time NBA champion who is known as a winner above anything else. 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. Aron Phillips

Before Will Bynum was collecting checks from the League, and Sean Dockery was doing damage at Duke, the two used to battle in their native Chicago. The other day someone unearthed footage from the 2001 reality series, “PREPS: Chicago Hoops,” which documented the life of basketball stars (including Eddy Curry) in the Chicago area. Though he’s not one of the featured players, Bynum is presented as Dockery’s main rival in the Chicago Public League – Dockery, the floor general at southside’s Julian High School, while Bynum was the PG at westside’s Crane High School. Make sure you check out all three videos.

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