Rising kings
There's something missing in the high school sports stratosphere.
Ever since LeBron James exploded into the national spotlight during his junior year at St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio) back in 2002, every school year has started with a big-name, national-caliber star among the high school ranks.
From basketball phenoms Greg Oden and O.J. Mayo to quarterback extraordinaire Jimmy Clausen, high school athletics have been blessed with a steady stream of marquee names who started mesmerizing the nation with regular "SportsCenter" appearances as early as their sophomore years.
Until now. For the first time in more than five years, a new school year will begin without a superstar athlete who defines high school sports. Then again, it won't be that way for long. There are plenty of guys capable of fulfilling that role. So allow us to introduce four male athletes from the Class of 2008 ready to take the reins as the main attractions of high school sports.
Greg Monroe
The best high school basketball player in America doesn't have an entourage. He likes working with numbers in math class and reading about World War II. He's not interested in marketability or "SportsCenter" appearances.
Instead, 6-foot-10, 225-pound power forward Greg Monroe, a rising senior at tiny Helen Cox (Harvey, La.), just plays ball. And he does it better than anyone else in the country, although you'd never know it by talking to him.
"Someone from The New York Times talked to Greg, and after that spoke to his AAU coach," Helen Cox head coach Tyron Mouzon says. "The reporter asked the coach, 'Does he realize who he is?'"
If Monroe doesn't realize quite how good he is, he's not alone. Despite jaw-dropping athleticism and versatility, Monroe is the most under-the-radar top recruit to hit the high school hoops scene since LeBron turned prep ballers into celebrities. "I don't get caught up in the hype," Monroe says. "Just because I'm a top player doesn't mean I change as a person."
Monroe doesn't make headlines for on- and off-court actions like last year's No. 1 player, O.J. Mayo. He also wasn't pegged as a franchise-changing center at age 16 and doesn't live in a basketball-crazy state like Indiana native Greg Oden, the nation's top player in 2006.
Unlike most elite players, Monroe doesn't have handlers pushing for media coverage. His "entourage" essentially consists of his mother, Norma, and coach Mouzon. And he goes to a small public school in a small town in Louisiana.
"Sometimes I have to pinch myself thinking that Helen Cox, this little middle school turned high school in Harvey, Louisiana, has the best player in the country," Mouzon says.
But it's no dream, and Monroe's talent alone could be enough to make him a name brand. He averaged 19.4 points, 12.5 rebounds, three blocks and two assists per game last year while earning Gatorade State Player of the Year honors, but Mouzon knew his star pupil would be special ever since the coach was an assistant at West Jefferson (Harvey, La.) and spotted Monroe as an eighth-grader.
Helen Cox opened as a high school the next year and Mouzon became the head coach the same time Monroe became a member of the inaugural ninth-grade class. Today, a high school that didn't exist five years ago is crawling with the nation's top college basketball minds. While casual fans might not know Monroe, legendary coaches like Mike Krzyzewski and Rick Pitino certainly do.
Pretty soon others are going to be watching Monroe -- and they'll be amazed at what they see. Maybe then he'll get the recognition he deserves.
Brandon Jennings
If a picture is indeed worth 1,000 words, then take a look at the photo to the left and let that image simmer.
That freak of a point guard -- all 6-foot-2, 165 pounds of him -- flying through the air for a primal throwdown is none other than Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) rising senior Brandon Jennings.
If any high school baller is capable of capturing the nation's imagination this year, it's Jennings. The Arizona recruit may not be the best player in the country -- he's rated the nation's No. 6 hoop recruit in the Class of 2008 by RISE -- but he's without a doubt the country's most entertaining player on the country's most high-profile team.
"If you asked everybody who's the best player in the country, I don't know who they'd say," Oak Hill head coach Steve Smith says. "But if you asked everybody who they'd want to watch, they'd probably say Brandon. Brandon is the kind of guy that people pay by the ticket to see play."
The California native developed such showmanship while spending his childhood watching streetball tapes. To this day he remains the type of guy who takes more pleasure pulling off between-the-legs passes than mid-range jumpers.
Think Baron Davis without the beard. "He's got a little shake and bake in his game," says Smith, a no-nonsense coach who has been at Oak Hill's helm for 22 years. "You don't want to take that away from him, but you also want to make sure he's making the right play."
Which he usually does. A week after suffering its only loss of the season last year, Oak Hill trailed by two in the final seconds on the road against eventual North Carolina state champion Concord, which had a one-and-one that could have iced it. But after a missed front-end free throw, Jennings corralled the loose ball with six seconds left, dribbled up the floor and swished a game-winning 3-pointer.
"If it's tied up or we're down by one, I always want the ball," says Jennings, who averaged 15.3 points and 11.5 assists per game last year while leading Oak Hill (40-1) to the No. 2 spot in the RISE National Top 25. "I have a lot of confidence in myself to take the last shot."
Oak Hill already has one game confirmed for ESPN this coming season. And even if the game doesn't go down to the wire like against Concord, Jennings promises viewers will be glad they tuned in. "I'm the kind of person that if I'm going to put on a show for you, you won't leave unhappy," he says.
And if you don't believe him, take a look at the picture above.
Terrelle Pryor
As the nation's top football recruit and an elite basketball player, Terrelle Pryor says he's more than ready for what promises to be a highly scrutinized senior year. And it's hard to argue with the two-sport superstar at Jeannette (Pa.) considering how maturely he handled all the fanatical local attention sent his way last year.
Take, for instance, the basketball game between Jeannette and Salem (Greensburg, Pa.) last December, when officials had to start turning fans away because the Salem gym was filled to capacity.
"My junior year helped me grow in terms of dealing with all the pressure," says Terrelle Pryor. "I've seen everything already in high school."
Terrelle Pryor should receive even more attention this year, especially on the national level. He is the country's best two-sport high school star since current MLB All-Star Joe Mauer, the USA Today National Player of the Year in both football and baseball as a senior at Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul, Minn.) in 2000-01.
A 6-foot-6, 220-pound quarterback, Terrelle Pryor is rated the nation's No. 1 overall football recruit in the Class of 2008 by RISE. And as a small forward in basketball, Terrelle Pryor is the nation's No. 27 recruit in his class.
But unlike Mauer, who gave up football and signed with the Minnesota Twins after they selected him with the No. 1 pick in the 2001 MLB Draft, Terrelle Pryor wants to play both of his sports after high school. A plethora of colleges have offered him the chance, including Ohio State, Penn State and USC. "I think it will be tough to do, but if anyone can do it, it's Terrelle," says Jeannette head football coach Ray Reitz. As a junior on the gridiron, Terrelle Pryor passed for 1,720 yards and 15 touchdowns and ran for 1,709 yards and 27 scores to help lead Jeannette to the Class AA WPIAL title and state runner-up finish. And on the hardwood, he averaged 20.8 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and three blocks per game.
While the expectations and accolades are coming on faster than Reggie Bush in the open field, Terrelle Pryor refuses to change. "Talk is cheap and everything is shown by your actions on the field," says Terrelle Pryor. "That's why I don't let the hype get to my head."
It just so happens the hype is justified -- Terrelle Pryor is for real. And soon that hype will be going national.
Aaron Hicks
Aaron Hicks should have gone unnoticed. The Long Beach (Calif.) Wilson rising senior spent this past spring playing in the baseball hotbed of Greater L.A. Even on his own team, Hicks had to fight for the limelight. The Bruins finished the season ranked No. 6 in the RISE National Top 25 and featured a trio of highly rated seniors -- Ryan Dent, Elliot Glynn and Richard Hanson.
Regardless, Hicks refused to get lost in the shuffle. The 6-foot-1, 170-pound outfielder/pitcher used sprinter's speed to make a name for himself, stealing 39 bases in 41 attempts during the regular season. And it's that speed that will help him stand out as the biggest name on the high school baseball scene next season.
But while speed might be Hicks' main weapon, it's hardly the only reason he's the frontrunner to become the top prospect in the Class of 2008. Hicks batted .349 during the regular season this past spring and added a team-high 26 walks. With nine extrabase hits and 20 RBI to go with a sensational glove and powerful arm, Hicks is a legitimate five-tool player.
"We've always known Aaron was a special player, but he took his game to a new level this season," Wilson head coach Andy Hall says. "Last year, he was a great starting right fielder -- and that was that. This year, he's a great right fielder who can do much more."
The biggest addition to Hicks' arsenal is his work on the mound. Despite a serious shortage of pitching experience, Hicks stepped into the closer's role for the Bruins as a junior. He pitched 14.1 innings during the regular season, recording a 0.98 ERA with 23 strikeouts and two saves for a team that won most of its games in blowout fashion.
With a Mariano Rivera-like cutter, a fastball that has touched 96 mph and a developing curveball, Hicks has the tools to blossom into a twoway star. He already has the potential to be picked in the first round of next year's MLB Draft as either a pitcher or positional player. "I'll do whatever the team needs," says Hicks. "If they need me to close the game or get a big hit, I just want to be involved in the big plays."
So Hicks is a five-tool outfielder, a fearless closer and someone who thrives under pressure. No wonder Hicks -- along with Jennings, Monroe and Terrelle Pryor -- can't fly under the radar anymore.
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