He turned 17 at the end of his freshman year and had to sit out his entire senior year because he was too old to qualify for high school play. Inside Her Life! The 'Punks'section of Slam Magazine and maybe ESPN's 'SSA'were the primary ways we caught wind of big-time hoopers elsewhere. Below is our take on the 30 greatest basketball players to never play in the NBA. To make matters worse, as a Duke fan, I was excited that the McDonald's All-American had already committed to the hated Tar Heels. He would eventually move on to play in the CBA before retiring in 2003. He played one year in Israel and one year in Japan before being drafted in the second round in 2011 by Charlotte. But Baldwin is also . Standing about 6-8 and about 230 or 240 pounds, he looked like a grown man, and I had no clue who he was. And, man, he was mean out there, almost menacing, grimacing and snarling as he imposed his will on you. LennyCooke was once considered a bigger high school star than our no. But then it all went downhill for Fields, who fractured a bone in his neck before his senior year playoffs. Wagner, Cason Wallace, Amari Bailey and Nick Smith headline standouts across the country. The top three-ranked players in the Class of 1998 all jumped straight from high school to the NBA. But, Wrenn was a troubled soul, who made emotional--rather than logical--decisions, and spent an uneventful college career bouncing from UConn to Washington, so his making it to the NBA was never really in the cards. And even though phone and computer screens set what seemed to be unreasonable expectations, my own eyes could not believe what they saw. That was kind of the case with Suntino Korleone Young, whose name seems to derive from the Godfather character Santino 'Sonny' Corleone. Type above and press Enter to search. Telfair played for nine NBA teams in 10 years and spent some time overseas as well, never living up to the incredible hype. 7. Smith dominated at Chicago's Martin Luther King high school as power forward/center, and was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs with the 29th overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft, but was immediately traded to the Dallas Mavericks. In 2017 and 2019, she won two gold medals in the FIBA Americas Tournament and the FIBA World Cup Tournament with Team USA. She is getting popular day by day. At one point he might have placed higher on this list, but he'll never compete with the top 3 who became bigger. There was no Ball is Life, Overtime or Mars Reel. He was the No. Cell phones throughout that crowd were set in video mode and trained on Williamson before he even finished his stretches. David Steele. Professional journalist for 25 years, contributing writer with High Times magazine and High Times.com since 1993. 5. He was selected 13th overall by the Trail Blazers and his pro career proceeded to be a never-ending shuffle. Fast forward to the Capital Center in Landover, Md., in late March, at the Capital Classic. Oden lived up to his billing in college, leading the Ohio State Buckeyes to the National Championship game. High school basketball player videos, pictures, profiles, and high school basketball recruiting information. Fields subsequently went undrafted by the NBA in the late 1990s, never achieving the greatness of his teammate KG. He was by far the best player to come out of Oakland. Heck, there was no YouTube. How Tall Is Celebrity Singer Paula Abdul? As it stands, Selby has played 38 games in the NBA and 31 games in the D-League although he has found some success overseas. The bleachers at the Sumter Civic Center were full by the time Williamson's team took the floor for pregame warm-ups. 10. There's almost nothing else to remember from Chris Washburn's basketball career, except him posing with Len Bias after they were picked back-to-back in the 1986 NBA Draft, or maybe him lounging on the Warriors' bench before or after one of his suspensions. He last played, professionally, in 2005 and was arrested in 2009 for failing to appear in court for a child support hearing. Emoni Bates, Jr., Ypsi Prep Academy (Ypsilanti) Preseason favorite to win MaxPreps National Player of the Year honors averaged 32.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.2 steals for the 19-3 Railsplitters. How Tall is POP Star I Cant Breath Singer Bebe Rexha? Duke has been viewed as the leader for his services for a long time, and the Blue Devils hope to add him to a class that already includes two top-10 players on this list. He was so skilled that the Lakers even selected him in the NBAs 1971 hardship draft. Our editorial content is not influenced by any commissions we receive. These guys seemed destined for greatness, but they peaked in high school 15 Basketball High School Phenoms Who Never Made It In The NBA. During a summer camp Cooke, the then No. The closest he would get to the NBA would be an invitation to the Raptors training camp in 2002 and Ward would play everywhere from the Philippines to Japan to Lebanon during his 13-year pro career. The nights watching tournament games at the State Fairgrounds in Columbus affectionately known as the 'The Barn' were the best. That's how real it was." Two days after being taken by the Celtics, Biasdied of a cardiac arrest brought on by a cocaine overdose. IF POLL DOES NOT APPEAR, click here to vote. Jalen was good, but it was not quite as good as his dad playing with a bum wrist against Feehan, and posting 42 points." Swift would play a total of 97 games in the NBA and experience more problems off the court. After being named Mr. Basketball USA in 1990, Bailey joined Knight in Bloomington, Indiana. Caitlin Clark is a college basketball player who has been involved in the sport throughout her entire life. The WCAC was the best high school league in the country, as at least 3 teams were nationally ranked. By. Welcome to The Whistler News, your go-to source for the latest news and trends across a wide range of categories, including Application, Business, Celebrity, Dating, Entertainment, Event, Food, How To, News, Questions, Streaming, Technology, Trending, and Uncategorized. He decided to stay local and went to UNLV where he was good but played against inferior competition in the Mountain West Conference. Dakota Candler, South Knox: The 6-5 senior made the game-winning three-point play in the final seconds as South Knox defeated Pike Central 60-58. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Below is our take on the 30 greatest basketball players to never play in the NBA. Mar 1, 2023, 4:15pm PST. Mayo became the first player in 10 years to be banned by the NBA. Oftentimes, you'd go into an AAU game, having never laid eyes on your opponent before opening tipoff. A post shared by Tadd Haislop (@taddhaislop) on Feb 18, 2017 at 12:03pm PST. 2 overall pick in the 1986 draft and that was as close to the NBA as Bias would ever get. There are other players like J.R. Smith, Kendrick Perkins and Monta Ellis who also went the prep-to-pro route and churned out serviceable NBA careers. No, that isn't comedian Carrot Top, that's NBA flame-out Robert Swift, a great high school player that managed to get Garces High School (Bakersfield, CA) ranked in the USA Today top 25 teams during the 2002-03 season. Shooting guard Fields became the first sophomore high schooler to play in the "Best of the Best" all-star game with the likes of Garnett and future NBA superstar Allen Iverson, and he justified the selection by becoming the number three all-time leading scorer in Chicago public league history. Damon Bailey was LeBron James before LeBron James, in the sense that he was so hyped up as a high school prospect and he drew tens of thousands of fans to see him play. These are players we continue to talk about; continue to use as a measuring stick for any and all players who take the hardwood at the games highest level. For this piece, let's take a look at the 10 best basketball players to never play in the NBA. How Tall Is Grizzlies Star Player Desmond Bane? She was the most sought-after student at her high school and rose to fame as a result of her performances in high school athletics. Brandon Jennings 5. We wound up matching up against his team late in the tournament. Samaki Walker, Michael Redd, Gary Trent and Kenny Gregory were must-see players too, but I can't remember a time when I was more excited to see a player for the first time than Weaver. Yet, for all the incredible individuals who left their mark on the NBA, there are those who, while talented enough to play in the league, never got the chance. ', Was I wrong about any of that? Dr. A's weekly risers and fallers: Jeremy Sochan, Christian Wood make the list, NBA Power Rankings: Kevin Durant's return could rock the West. A knee injury wiped out his entire third season and by the time he was healthy, the SuperSonics were becoming the OKC Thunder and Kevin Durant was the young superstar. True, Washburn is now a cautionary tale, and always will be. The closest the shooting guard ever came to the NBA was playing in the Summer League for the Boston Celtics. Orem players celebrate a 3-pointer in the 5A boys basketball state quarterfinal game against Lehi at the Dee Events Center in Ogden on Wednesday, March 1, 2023. The Capital Centre didn't react with an "ooohhhhh,"but with an explosion of "WHOAAAAAAA! (This time, it included me, as I was again seated behind the same basket he slammed on). The splash of a Spaulding sphere is sweet to anyone who knows the game. Hell, he wasnt even the next Ray Jackson or Jimmy King. My friend gave me the kind of look one would expect from a person who had just seen a human defy physics. But Telfair wouldnt prove to be the Blazers point guard of the future and was nothing more than a journeyman backup during his 10 NBA seasons. In the state tournament shortly thereafter, Burnson had perhaps the greatest performance in Massachusetts high school basketball history: 42 points against Bishop Feehan in the state tournament at Boston Garden. When Roselle Catholic boys basketball coach Dave Boff originally envisioned his team for the 2021-22 season, he thought he would have at least two of the top players in the state -- if not the nation. As I was sitting on the baseline under the very basket he threw it down on, covering the game for the Black Explosion student paper, I was one of the few who refrained from oooh-ing, but not because the dunk hadn't earned it. The third-ranked player, Korleone Young, played 3 NBA games. By 18, Telfair was on the cover of Sports Illustrated and just months later he was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers. Eventually, Wrenn ran into legal troubles, thus ending his bid at the pros. Though Bryant was drafted #13 overall by the Charlotte Hornets, of course, such an obscure franchise was beneath Kobe's destined greatness, so he promptly engineered a curious trade to the Los Angeles Lakers (for Vlade Divac?) Basketball scorers start young. A 2008 documentary that follows the lives of 8 of the best high school basketball prospects at the time leading up the 1st annual Boost Mobile Elite 24 Hoops Classic at Rucker Park. best high school basketball player that never made it. And Washburn took off and threw down the exact same dunk. There's been an ongoing debate for years, even decades, on whether the "one and done" rule in the NBA should be liftedor if in fact, basketball players should spend even more time in college. Bryant lead the "Aces" to the Pennsylvania state title in '96, and in 2010, the school named their new gymnasium for the hoops legend. Averaged 19.4 points, 5 . 8. Nicknamed 'Benji'. Along with teammate Chris Monroe, Roger led Good Counsel to the WCAC tournament finals. Chris Washburn's one moment makes him my choice." In fact, Oden was ranked as USA Today's top high school player since the 1982-83 season, which means he was ranked higher than the likes of Kevin Garnett and LeBron James. In the history of the NBA draft, 45 players have been taken directly out of high school. He had not turned 18 yet. The ironically nicknamed "Black Jack" Ryan represents the only "great white hope" of this list. Clark started playing basketball at age five. She therefore embraces her subject of interest with zeal and determination, which is why she is currently becoming more well-liked among basketball fans. From then until I moved out of Pittsburgh in 1993, I went to the Dapper Dan every year. 1 overall pick to be sent down to the D-League. SHARE High school boys basketball: Orem continues unlikely 5A tourney run, bounces Lehi to advance to semifinals. Whether it was bad luck, bad advice, or tragedy, here are the top 5 football / basketball players who never made it in their professional sports league. Her 799 points set a freshman record, while her 39 points in one game broke a previous school mark. Caitlin was born on January 22, 2002, in Des Moines, Iowa, and is currently 19 years old. He was selected in the first round of the 2003 draft (26th overall) by the Timberwolves, but was never suited for the pros and wound up playing overseas for one obscure team after the next. Unfortunately, while Los Angeles offered Hammond $50,000 to sign as a rookie, there was just one problem: Hammond was making more money than that on the street, dealing drugs and shooting dice. The 6'4" wing guard was equally good off the court where he maintained over a 3.0 GPA and is also an accomplished piano player. The ball had hit the rim and was rising toward the top of the backboard; Williamson snatched the ball, his head easily above said rim, before gravity had a chance to take effect. Gabriella Brooks and Liam Hemsworth Were Spotted Together Following Miley Cyrus Release Of A Song About Him. Like many of the players on this list, Cisse switched schools, finishing up at St. Jude Catholic High. 3 min read Chet Holmgren, the top high school player in the country, has been named the 2021 Morgan Wootten Boys High School Basketball Player. After the 2005 draft, the NBA's collective bargaining agreement ended the prep-to-pro pipeline. He was one of the most-touted players to come out of New York in years and won the Mr. Basketball USA award in 1994. She also received the most weekly Player of the Week honours in the Big Ten Conference with five. I don't mean potentially better, I mean better today. Bailey was LeBron before LeBron and had over 40,000 people coming to watch his high school games which remains an all-time attendance record. Some of these high school phenoms did decide to go to college but they still werent able to relive the glory from their high school days. Is The Famous Actress And Comedian, Aubrey Plaza, Married? It was impossible to watch anybody else on the court. Some of them are legends of the playgrounds; others are individuals whose lives werecut way too short. Tyreke Evans 3. At 26.6 points per game, Caitlin set the Iowa freshman record and led NCAA Division I scoring in 202021. I already knew I wanted to be a sportswriter; seeing all those great players on one night made me realize I wanted to write about basketball more than any other sport. Best High School Boys Basketball Player in Every State 2022: West By Tony Adame on October 24, 2022 Twitter Stadium Talk's annual preseason list of the best high school boys basketball player in all 50 states is upon us, and we're trying something new and exciting this year by dividing the stories up into regions. 1 prospect, was outplayed by an unknown player named LeBron James who would then supplant Cooke as the top player in the country. Herman "Helicopter" Knowings Image via Complex Original Accolades: One of 24 ESPN Rucker Park Legends The. It's baffling to think that at one point, Sebastian Telfair shared a Sports Illustrated cover spot with LeBron James and the two were hyped as the two players set to take over the NBA. Williams was a star with two different high schools in Mississippi and Texas and was ranked in the top 20 prospects of 2009. That means getting to see them play in high school. Get your votes in by noon Friday for our high school boys basketball player of the week for Feb. 20-25: Cast your vote in the poll at the bottom of the article or click here to vote. Last week, we unveiled our top high school basketball team in each state and today we are digging . Players who made the most successful jumps from high school to the NBA, The paths of KD and Kyrie: How one month changed three franchises and two superstar legacies, Morant to miss two games after video with gun, Grizzlies' Clarke tore Achilles, out for season, 'Not going out this way': Nets, down 28, stun C's, Kerr touts 5-0 homestand: Dubs 'turned a corner', KD: Mavs tilt, Kyrie meeting 'just another game', Sources: Dragic joining Bucks for rest of season, Nets filling out big-man depth with Noel signing, Isaac has surgery on adductor, done for season. Salem won the state title, and Brunson surprised a few of us by choosing Temple over Kentucky. Born in the Dominican Republic, Lopezs family moved to New York when he was 14 and he enrolled at Rice High School in Manhattan. A Lamborghini is a Lamborghini, and Williamson is a Murcilago with a 6.2 L V12 engine. Tadd Haislop. 15 Basketball High School Phenoms Who Never Made It In The NBA (And 5 Who Became Bigger Stars). For those who think Julius "Dr. J" Erving is all that, keep in mind that Erving never won an NBA title until the 1982-83 Philadelphia 76ers acquired the late great Moses Malone to replace the lesser great but also late Darryl "Chocolate Thunder" Dawkins at center. Mike DeCourcy. Maggette was smooth and fun to watch doing everything on the floor." Candler was 12-for-17 from the field and 4-for-5 from the free-throw line to finish with 28 points, eight rebounds and three assists. In recent years, Howard has dampened his stature as an NBA pro. The National Basketball Association is known for its history ofphenomenal players. Other stories are more positive; some international players elected to ball out and stack paper in their home country instead of making the leap to the States. Swimming in National Player of the Year awards just a year after Kevin Garnett's successful leap from high school to the NBA, Bryant made the none-too-surprising decision to turn pro himself. We all know what happened when Oden went pro as he was drafted by the Blazers first overall in 2007. Said former Lynwood coach Bill Lee:Ive seen Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, and Michael Jordan and Ive never seen anyone better with the basketball. Conversely, the five listed as becoming bigger stars in the pros somehow exceeded the hype that was bestowed on them coming out of high school. He played for eight different teams and was traded six different times including in the deal that sent Kevin Garnett to Boston. MORE: Have you seen the legend of Mac McClung? Michael Dyer Dyers freshman year at Auburn not only brought NFL potential but also a national championship. Guard. After one year at USC Mayo joined the NBA where he wasnt the star that many expected but was still a serviceable role player. How Tall Is Basketball Player Caitlin Clark? Those players were: 1. You were drawn to Estaban. In this blog post, we are going to talk about the Best High School Basketball Player That Never Made It. In 1984, as a senior, he was the Parade Magazine co-player of the year with none other than Danny Manning. 1. A stint with the 76ers summer-league team would be the next-closest Young would get to the NBA and he would toil in various minor leagues around the world. The San Antonio Spurs drafted him first overall in 1997. However, he can thank Calipari for not giving him the option of returning to Memphis as Wagner made over $8 million in the NBA and he wouldnt have made a dime had he gotten sick while in college. MISHAWAKA MARIAN (41): Dareon Thornton 3 2-2 10, Deaglan Sullivan 7 5-6 21, Jackson Price 1 0-0 3, Deuce Owens 1 0-0 2, Zion Rhoades 1 3-4 5 TOTAL: 13 10-12 41 Which is a shame because the guy was insanely talented. She also finished the season with the fourth-highest points per game average in Iowa history. Smith's off-the-court shenanigans are far more interesting than his fizzled pro hoops career. COMPLEX participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means COMPLEX gets paid commissions on purchases made through our links to retailer sites. The NBA has been home to plenty of elite ball handlers, but in all fairness, point guard Marques Hayenes was on another level. So I've seen nearly every great basketball talent as a high schooler for the past four decades: Ewing, Mourning, Garnett, Davis. The Mavs were probably a bad fit for Smith, as they were coached by Don Nelson, an old-school type who was particularly hard on rookies. 30. You cant find her Wikipedia article on the internet. Only two members of the Fab Five II would go on to play in the NBA: Maceo Baston and Maurice Taylor. She has gained recognition for her exceptional gaming senses. But before we get to that, here are a couple more losers: Here's a perfect example of a young hoopster who should have attended the college he committed to; in Ndudi Ebi's case, it was the University of Arizona, a strong basketball program. His last known basketball activity was a tryout with the Warriors D-League team in 2016. Such was the case when my Tampa Raptors, a rag-tag, best of the rest team, consisting of a band of players not good enough to be scooped up by Nike or adidas' summer outfits. Joe "The Destroyer" Hammond Despite never playing high school or college ball, Joe "The Destroyer" Hammond was perhaps the greatest basketball player to ever come out of Harlem. At Benjamin Franklin High in New York City, shooting guard Manigault set a record by scoring 57 points in one game in the late 1950s. Thislegend preceded LeBron in Ohio, and it was just as big at the start. Lopez left school ranking sixth all-time in Big East history in points but when you are on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a teenager, more was expected of him. Demetrius Hook Mitchell may have only been 5-foot-9, but the man who could jump over a Volkswagen was a legend on the playgrounds of Oakland. In the 2010s, seeing high schoolers do things beyond their sizes is almost commonplace. He wound up whacking me in the head and I saw three goals as I stood at the free-throw line.