Words. Jason Jordan

Louisville’s Loss Will be Someone Else’s Huge Gain

Photo. Courier-Journal

After de-committing from Louisville in late May, Justin Martin, a small forward who hails from Lawrence North High in Indianapolis, is wide open.

Before he chose the Cards in early November, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan State, Purdue, Cincinnati, Dayton, Miami, Valparaiso and Xavier were all courting Martin. Most have jumped back into Martin’s recruitment in some capacity, and it’s easy to understand why. MORE >

Words. Jason Jordan

Meet the 2K Sports Preseason All-American Team’s Defensive Stopper

Photo. Courier-journal.com

It will be interesting to see how Cory Joesph will mesh with the other point guards on the 2k Sports All-American team in the World Basketball Tournament in Douai, France, which runs from June 8-15. With talented floor generals like Ryan Harrow, Ray McCallum and Josh Selby, Joseph will have to learn to co-exist. MORE >

Words. Jason Jordan

N.C. State Commit Says He’s in as Long as Sidney Lowe is His Coach.

Photo. NorthCarolinaStateScout.com

Ryan Harrow is a realist who doesn’t mind speaking candidly about the obvious flaw in his game.

“It’s my strength,” says Harrow. “Yeah… I’m really not strong at all.”

At 6-feet tall, Harrow, a point guard who hails from Walton High School in Marietta, Ga., tips the scale at just 148 pounds. Still, the beanpole factor hasn’t slowed his offensive arsenal, which has in turn caused his stock shoot up over the past few months.

Defensively it’s a different story. His size can, at times, make him a liability when bigger guards post him up, which is why Harrow has committed to lifting weights with the Walton football team all summer. MORE >

Words. Aron Phillips

What do Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and Tony Parker have in common? Other than all being NBA superstars, these three – along with almost 60 others – have played in the legendary World Basketball Tournament in Douai, France.

Now in its 23rd year, the World Basketball Tournament features the best under-19 talent in the world with the top national teams from Australia, Canada, France, Lithuania, Puerto Rico and the United States (represented by the 2K Sports Preseason All-American Team). With five days of competition, the tournament will prepare each squad for the 2009 FIBA U19 World Championship later this summer. MORE >

Words. Jason Jordan

Photo. SavannahNow.com

Don’t get him wrong, Jordan McRae is honored.

He knows that he’s fortunate and he’s appreciative, but when he first got the news that he’d been picked to play in the World Basketball Tournament in Douai, France from June 8-15 with the 2K Sports Preseason All-American Team, McRae, a 6-5 shooting guard, immediately saw it as an opportunity to win on a lot of different levels. “I’m going overseas to play with some of the best kids in the country,” says McRae. “I don’t think about this a lot, but I would like to be ranked higher on most rankings. I think that this could be an opportunity to do that.” MORE >

Words. Jason Jordan

Photo. fredericksburg.com

Fresh off of a strong showing at the Tournament of Champions with DC Assault, Joshua Hairston, a 6-8 forward who hails from Courtland High School (Va.), must now prepare to take on the world in the World Basketball Tournament in Douai, France from June 8-15. Hairston, one of the nation’s best high school talents, will be part of the 2K Sports All-Star Team that battles squads from Australia, Spain, Lithuania, Puerto Rico, France, Canada, and Croatia the second week of June. [Editor's note: We will be covering the whole tourney right here on highschoolhoop.com, complete with video of the team's trip.]

Hairston, a Duke commit who checks in at No. 35 on the HighSchoolHoop top 50, chatted with us about everything from his grueling schedule to why basketball isn’t the only thing he’s looking forward to in France. MORE >