25 of the greatest high school basketball players of all time

Legends of the hardwood throughout high school basketball’s long history.

Choosing the most outstanding high school basketball players of all time is as difficult as it can be an argumentative stalemate.

It’s no secret that the game has changed, so looking at an icon from the 1960s might not equate to a player who dominated in the past five or so years.

But there is also an argument within the argument (the game behind the game, if you will) where historical talent is…well, historical talent—the fact that it occurred when Twitter didn’t exist has little meaning on the overall resume. And vice versa.

That thought process provided the foundation for answering our questions about the 25 greatest of all time. We wanted to look at dominant players throughout history—ones who could easily suit up and play tomorrow and have the same results as they would in any era.

Of course, the criteria needed more substantial elements beyond that as well. So, understanding that it would still finalize as an opinionated ranking, we included simple factors such as location and competition, plus weighed what the player meant to the team’s success—while trying our hardest not to consider what each player did after high school.

Once the research hoopla settled, we landed at these 25.

Watch: Manasquan applauds as Camden, the team that controversially knocked them out of the playoffs, wins the state championship

Manasquan boys attend the state finals to watch Camden win the championship.

The Manasquan boys basketball team was in attendance on Saturday afternoon for the state championship, just days removed from a controversial semifinal loss in the state semifinals.

The NJSIAA, the governing body for New Jersey high school sports, said this week that the wrong call was made in Camden’s (Camden, New Jersey) 46-45 win over Manasquan (Manasquan, New Jersey) in the state semifinals. Despite this fact, Manasquan stood and respectfully applauded Camden’s win in the state tournament.

It was an impressive display of sportsmanship, even as Manasquan had to feel that they belonged on the court at Rutgers on Saturday afternoon.

On Tuesday night, Manasquan had an apparent game-winner waived off by the game officials, a decision that gave Camden the win in the state semifinals. Video replay confirmed the original call by the officiating crew that the putback from Griffin Linstra of Manasquan had beaten the buzzer.

The original call, that Linstra made the shot in time to beat Camden, should have stood, giving Manasquan the win.

Instead, inexplicably, the basket was overturned and Camden was heading to Jersey Mike’s Arena on the Rutgers campus for the state championship.

 

On Wednesday, the NJSIAA acknowledged the officiating error in the game.

A New Jersey high school had their playoff win ripped away by a stunning, awful buzzer-beater reversal

What an AWFUL reversal this was by the refs.

Buckle up for this one, friends.

In the New Jersey high school playoffs, Camden — who were huge favorites coming into the contest — faced off against Manasquan. With mere seconds left on the clock, Manasquan tried to make a shot and missed, but a teammate grabbed the rebound and put it back BEFORE the clock expired.

Or so it appears from video that’s gone viral. Because officials got together … and waved off the basket. Camden won. The complaints about how Manasquan got completely jobbed here are justified.

Take a look at the ending, a screenshot of the moment that hoop went in and more:

Absolutely ridiculous.

Aerial View: The best dunks of the high school basketball season in images (so far)

High-flying slams from around the country.

It’s 10s across the board for these high-flying high school basketball talents, a collective group proverbially jumping out of the gym while throwing down some massive dunks.

From the hardwood action so far 2023-24, these are our favorite slams captured in images across the country…

Bryce James transferring from Campbell Hall to Notre Dame High School

There will plenty of celebs in the stands at the Knights’ basketball games this season, and beyond.

Bryce James, the youngest son of NBA star LeBron James, is changing course on his high career again, making another switch regarding where he’ll attend school for his junior year.

The 6-foot-6 talent took to X (formerly Twitter) and shared an edited uniform photograph that highlighted his decision:

The transfer to Notre Dame High School (Sherman Oaks, Calf.) is the third stop for James—at least, in news cycles.

He was set to attend Campbell Hall in Studio City, Calif., after spending his first two years at Sierra Canyon High School in nearby Chatsworth, where his brother, Bronny, starred. The James family made a splash to accompany that transfer when they donated money toward a multimillion-dollar athletic facility on Campbell Hall’s campus

But the soft rumors that the hoop prospect was considering Notre Dame back in June—after his decision to attend Campell Hall was announced—seem to have continued to hold the proverbial water as the summer progressed.

Campbell Hall guard Bryce James (4) warms up with his team during the Section 7 Basketball Tournament at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on June 23, 2023.

According to a report by LA Times’ Eric Sondheimer, head coach Matt Sargeant said James had his first practice with the team on Wednesday. 

As expected, James adds more talent to the Knights’ already-packed roster. The CIF State Division 1 champs’ 2023-24 season will feature Duke commit Caleb Foster, Gonzaga commit Dusty Stromer, and Houston commit Mercy Miller—the son of rapper/entrepreneur Percy “Master P” Miller—to name a few.

One interesting note out of all this new movement: According to Sondheimer, James would have to move residences to be eligible immediately at Notre Dame. Due to CIF transfer rules, not doing so could render him a sit-out period athlete, who would be eligible on December 24.

None of this, mind you, affects the NIL contract James signed with Klutch Sports in December 2022.

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4-star power forward Garrett Sundra commits to Notre Dame hoops

Today, Notre Dame joined the group by adding one of their own.

The summer months were quiet, but basketball recruiting is beginning to pick up again as we approach fall. Over the last few days, Missouri and USC have secured commitments from four-star recruits in the class of 2024. Today, Notre Dame joined the group by adding one of their own.

Here’s how Paul VI Catholic (Va.) four-star power forward Garrett Sundra announced his commitment to the Fighting Irish earlier today.

 

Sundra is billed as a versatile big man with a soft touch, per Adam Finkelstein’s scouting report.

“Sundra’s ability to stretch the floor, pass the basketball, pick-and-pop, and potential to be an inside-out scoring threat as he develops his body and gets more assertive, should be an ideal fit. He has all the necessary tools and skills to develop into the type of modern day, versatile big man that Shrewsberry values and wants to deploy at Notre Dame.”

Sundra had offers from 14 other programs, including Butler, Maryland, Miami, Rhode Island, Seton Hall and Villanova. Going by the 247Sports composite rankings, Sundra is No. 90 nationally, No. 17 at his position and No. 4 overall in the state of Virginia.

That makes two hard commits for Notre Dame’s class of 2024. The other is IMG Academy (Fla.) four-star shooting guard Cole Certa.

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5-time NBA champ Derek Fisher to coach Crespi High School basketball team

Derek Fisher was never a star, but he was nevertheless an important part of two of the great Lakers dynasties.

Derek Fisher was never a star, but he was nevertheless an important part of two great Lakers dynasties.

From 1996-2004 and again from 2007-2011, he played for LA, totaling 13 seasons. At his best, Fisher was the starting point guard for the Shaq and Kobe teams that won three straight NBA championships from 2000-2002. Fisher is perhaps most famous for hitting a buzzer-beater to beat the Spurs during the Western Conference Semifinals in 2004.

That team eventually was stunned by the Pistons in the NBA Finals, but Fisher went on to win two more world championships with the Kobe-Pau Gasol teams of 2009-2010. Fisher eventually played a total of 20 seasons in the NBA and finally retired after the 2013-2014 season. After he was done playing, Fisher later served as the head coach of the Knicks and the WNBA’s LA Sparks.

Next up, Fisher is ready to try his hand at coaching at the high school level. According to Will Conybeare at KTLA, Fisher will be coaching at Crespi (Encino, Calif.) this coming season. Fisher said he was thankful for the opportunity in a statement, per KTLA.

““My family and I are thankful and grateful for this opportunity to join the Crespi Family… Coaching and teaching is a true passion and I look forward to continuing this focus on the next generation of young student-athletes.”

Crespi went 18-12 last season but only 1-6 within their own league.

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4-star power forward Dallas Thomas commits to Clemson basketball

On Monday, Clemson got a commitment from Parkview Magnet (Ark.) four-star power forward Dallas Thomas.

It’s a relatively slow time of the year for basketball recruiting, but that doesn’t mean programs are not out looking for young talent.

On Monday, Clemson got a commitment from Parkview Magnet (Ark.) four-star power forward Dallas Thomas.

Thomas (6-foot-7, 170 pounds) had offers from 10 other schools, including Arkansas, Auburn, Houston, Illinois, Missouri State, Oklahoma State, St. John’s, TCU, Texas A&M and Tulsa.

The scouting report on Thomas mentions his ball handling, ability to create his own shot, and disruptive length and tenacity on the other end of the floor. His jumper and strength will need work, though.

The 247Sports composite rankings have Thomas at No. 11 among power forwards, second overall in the state of Arkansas and No. 64 nationally in the class of 2024.

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Watch: 4-star G Simeon Wilcher commits to St. John’s in style

Wilcher’s announcement is part Coming to America, part Nas and part basketball highlight reel.

High school hoopers are on another level when it comes to style points for their college commitments. One of the best we have seen came out on Monday when Roselle Catholic (N.J.) four-star guard Simeon Wilcher announced his commitment to St. John’s with a slick video.

Wilcher’s announcement is part “Coming to America,” part Nas and part basketball highlight reel. Watch.

Wilcher (6-foot-4, 185 pounds) is No. 4 overall in New Jersey, No. 7 among combo guards and No. 34 nationally in the class of 2023, going by the 247Sports composite rankings. He also had offers from 13 other programs, including Nebraska and North Carolina.

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2023 NBA Finals: Where the starters played high school basketball

Here’s where all 10 of them are coming from.

The 2023 NBA Finals will begin tonight between the Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat. The most talented player on the floor will be two-time league MVP Nikola Jokic, who grew up in Serbia. Denver’s star point guard Jamal Murray is also an international player from Canada. However, the rest of the expected starters for both teams played at least some of their high school basketball in the United States.

Here’s where all 10 of them are coming from.

Miami Heat

PG Gabe Vincent: St. Mary’s (Calif.)
SG Max Strus: Amos Alonzo Stagg (Ill.)
SF Jimmy Butler: Tomball (Texas)
PF Caleb Martin: Oak Hill Academy (Va.)
C Bam Adebayo: High Point Christian Academy (NC)

Denver Nuggets

PG Jamal Murray: Grand River (Ontario, CA)
SG Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: Greenville (Ga.)
SF Michael Porter Jr.: Nathan Hale (Wash.)
PF Aaron Gordon: Archbishop Mitty (Calif.)
C Nikola Jokic: Mega Basket (Serbia)

The Nuggets were supposed to be here after posting the best record in the Western Conference during the regular season (53-29). They swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the conference finals. Meanwhile, the Heat will continue playing the Cinderella role, having upset three straight opponents after squeaking into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.

According to BetMGM’s latest odds, Denver is considered an 8.5-point favorite for Game 1. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

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