The Top 10 High School Basketball Players I’ve Seen

Posted in Personal Development on November 25th, 2009 by Ryan Biddulph –



For those who don’t know I am a huge high school basketball fan. I’ve followed hoops in the New York / New Jersey area for the past twenty years.

I’ve also been able to see many of the nation’s top players at AAU tournaments and summer camps in the tri-state.

The following list of players is based on their high school performance only.

10 - Luther Wright, Elizabeth High School, NJ

At 7-1 and over 300 pounds Luther had a build similar to Shaquille O’Neal. He was a dominant high school player. Luther combined a soft touch on his shot with an overpowering game in the paint. He was also a beast on the defensive end.

Luther signed with Seton Hall University. He had a short career in the NBA.

9 - Eddie Griffin, Roman Catholic High School, PA

Eddie was the best shot blocker I’ve seen on the high school level. It wasn’t uncommon for him to have 15 blocks in a single game. He was a sensational rebounder as well.

Eddie could score at will on the offensive end. He had an array of up and under moves and could use the backboard as well.

Eddie went to Seton Hall University as part of a blockbuster recruiting class. He had a few productive years in the NBA but was never able to shake the demons which followed him from his high school and college days. He died tragically in a car accident a few years ago.

8 - Roderick Rhodes, St. Anthony High School, NJ

Roderick Rhodes was a superstar in the 8th grade. He was the first freshman to ever start at fabled St. Anthony High School in New Jersey.

He was another multi-faceted player. Roderick was an excellent athlete. He glided to the rim and could finish with authority. At 6-6 he could put the ball on the floor and set up teammates.

He played sensational defense. When focused entirely on offense Roderick could turn it on with the best of them.

He played a game against rival Elizabeth High School in which he went off for 45 points. The stands were packed with 5000 plus fans, most of which who were pro-Elizabeth. Roderick scored on a variety of jump shots and drives.

Roderick signed with Coach Rick Pitino and the Kentucky Wildcats. He played in the NBA for a number of years before retiring.

7 - Shaheen Holloway, St. Patrick’s High School, NJ

Shaheen was the quickest guard I’ve ever seen on any level. TJ Ford may be quicker end-to-end but as far as getting to the basket Shaheen was the quickest.

He dominated the high school game at 5-9. He was like a high school version of Calvin Murphy. Shaheen’s crossover dribble was AI‘s before AI. On more than one occasion he had an elite level player grabbing at air after a devastating crossover or lightning-quick spin move.

One game which stands out was a 35 point effort against Tim Thomas and Paterson Catholic. He scored on a variety of floaters and drives that left the PC fans shaking their heads.

His hands were the quickest I’ve seen on the defensive end. He’d routinely pick-pocket some of the better guards in the metro area. When recruiting Shaheen to Kentucky Rick Pitino said that he would have shattered the NCAA record for steals in his up-tempo, pressing system.

Shaheen never developed a consistent outside shot. He was streaky at best. There’s no doubt that if he had a dependable jump shot he would have went on to a solid NBA career. He was that dominating a player at 5-9.

He’s the most entertaining high school player I’ve had the pleasure to watch.

Shaheen signed with Seton Hall University and after a solid career eventually went into coaching. He’s now an assistant coach with Iona College.

6 - Al Harrington, St. Patrick’s High School, NJ

Al Harrington was a tenacious superstar. Most elite level players take it easy when the competition is inferior but Al rarely took a play off. He was a monster on the glass and could fill it up from mid-range on in.

Al had sensational footwork. He used an array of post moves that baffled most defenders.

He had a dominating effort against national power Dunbar High School of Baltimore at the Slam Dunk To The Beach Tournament in Delaware. He had one baseline spin-move dunk that sticks out in my mind.

Al made the jump from St. Patrick’s High School to the NBA. He’s had a solid NBA career with a number of franchises.

5 - Rasheed Wallace, Simon Gratz High School, PA

Rasheed was the best rebounder I’ve seen at the high school level. He was also the best outlet passer. After a defensive rebound he’d whip the ball to a guard which started a fast break.

Rasheed was an excellent shooter for a big man. He had unorthodox form but the ball went into the hoop more often than not when he shot it.

The fact that he was amazingly skilled, fundamentally sound, and a world-class athlete at 6-11 made him the best true big man I’ve seen at the high school level.

Rasheed went on to play for the North Carolina Tar Heels. He’s had an All Star NBA career.

4 - Tim Thomas, Paterson Catholic High School, NJ

As his AAU coach Jimmy Salmon said, “Timmy was Dirk Nowitski before Dirk.” He was probably one of the most versatile high school big men ever. At 6-9 he could handle the ball and pass like a guard, he could shoot the lights out, and could post up better than any big man. He was equally proficient on the inside and outside.

I remember a game against Orange high school when Tim was s junior. He went for 46 points against a very talented team in a hostile environment. He scored in any way imaginable; post-up drop step moves, fade away jumpers, three pointers, and dunks. Tim also showed off his ball handling skills and passing ability.

He signed with Villanova out of high school and after a short stay went on to a solid NBA career.

3 - Dajuan Wagner, Camden High School, NJ

Dajuan was the most gifted scorer I’ve seen on the high school level. In one particular AAU game he lit up a team for 40 plus points without breaking a sweat. Juanny was one of those kids who drew superstars to his games; at this AAU game I had Fat Joe on one side of me and Allen Iverson on the other.

Dajuan was a scoring machine. He could get to the basket against anybody any time he wanted. He finished consistently with an array of creative floaters. Dajuan could also throw down off an alley-oop or his own drive.

His range was from another ZIP code. He was also an outstanding passer. He had all the tools.

After one year an Memphis University Dajuan was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He suffered a number of injuries and is currently trying to get back into the NBA.

2 - Stephon Marbury, Lincoln High School, NY

Stephon and Dajuan Wagner were a toss up as the second best player. Both were physically imposing, dominant scorers and excellent passers. I gave Steph the nod because he played hard every time I saw him, whether it was an all-star game or the New York City championship.

It was said that Steph had the body of a tank with the engine of a Ferrari. He was lightning fast and overwhelmingly powerful getting to the rim. He could also sky with the best of them. When he rose for a jump shot it looked it he popped out of a toaster.

Stephon had tremendous elevation on his jumper as well as when he got to the hoop. He was also a tremendous passer and demanding team leader.

As quickly and powerfully as he got to the basket it was the range on his jumper that was most impressive. I saw him pull up from 35 - 40 feet routinely at an all star game in Elizabeth, NJ. He drilled more than a few of these jump shots, all with his text book elevation and form.

Stephon signed with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets out of high school.
He went on to an All-Star career in the NBA. He’s currently taking a year off to spend time with his family and do community service.

He’s also one of my twitter buddies and a really nice dude. You can follow him at: Stephon on Twitter.

1 - Lebron James, St.Vincent-St. Mary High School, Ohio

Lebron tops the list. I first saw him at the Adidas ABCD Camp as a 16 year old. He was the best player in high school ball as a rising junior. LBJ was a stunning specimen who could pass like Magic Johnson and rise like Vince Carter. Most importantly he was an unselfish player who sought to involve his teammates first.

Lebron’s jump shot was streaky but when it was on he scored at will. I saw him score 52 at a high school showcase game against national power Westchester High School in Trenton, NJ. He decided to show off his perimeter game and scored almost exclusively on jump shots.

In the year prior Lebron put on a show in a head-to-head duel with Carmelo Anthony. Although his team lost he showed off his passing skills with many dazzling no-look passes.

Against triple teams Lebron could have averaged 50 points a game at the high school level. He stood 6-8 and weighed 230 pounds and was a runaway freight train when driving to the rim. He was a highly recruited football player who had his pick of national powers if he decided to go that route.

Lebron made the jump to the NBA. He currently plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Any hoops fans out there? Who are the best high school players that you’ve seen?

Please Retweet, share on Facebook and spread the word about my blog. I appreciate your active support!

Ryan Biddulph is an entrepreneur and motivational author who inspires people to obliterate their limitations. Use the personal development program which transformed him from an unemployed security officer into an influential webpreneur Wealth Beyond Reason

- flickr.com/photos/keithallison/

  • Yes I was a little young then but my pops always talked about them and I read about them in the paper.

    Also remember watching Lville and talk of the "Camden Connection."

    From talking to guys who saw them Milt and Billy Thompson maybe was the Top 1-2 combo of all time in NJ. Amazing talent on those teams.

    Thanks for stopping by and commenting :)
  • Ibocoupe
    Thank you for replying! Yes William Thompson was a much heralded 6-5 forward on the 1980 and 81 Camden teams and was named National Player of the Year in 1982 when Camden was named National Champions! The 82 team also had two superb underclassmen in Kevin Walls( continued Louisville connection) and Wes Fuller another 6-5 forward who had an outstanding college career at Northeastern. Not to take anything away from Dajuan, because he would've been great in Any era!, but his Father's Camden teams faced far greater competition than any current NJ public school program can possibly fathom. His Father, Milt Wagner put 52 pts on DeMatha Catholic in 1981 when DeMatha was the Elite high school program in the Nation. 52! AND IT WAS EASY!
  • I remember reading about their schedule. It was big-time.

    I follow St. Pat's in Elizabeth and their star player this year will probably be POY in the country. His name is Michael Gilchrist and his dad played with the great Camden teams back then. He's also from the same town as William Thompson - Somerdale.

    If you still go to high school games chances are I've seen you over the years. I used to go down to Camden to watch Dajuan play. I don't go to as many games now but still hit all the high profile events.
  • Ibocoupe
    I read about Michael Gilchrist in a article online a few years ago. He was being touted as the best player in the nation in his age group at the time. The article mentioned the loss of his father which was sad to read about to say the least. I do remember his name from the Great Camden era. It's quite obvious with Michael's talent that the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree. To a certain degree I also follow St. Patricks' . I'm located in Mercer County and a few years ago we had two ball players, Grant Billmeier from Hopewell and Robert Hines from Trenton play for St. Pat's. Needless to say, we're all tremendously proud here in Mercer of the recent accomplishments of Trenton Catholic! I've been a barber in the city of Trenton for the past 15 years so its quite difficult to make games due to the conflicting schedules as well as being a family man. However, I do make it a point to stay current on the high school basketball scene as best I can. A loyal customer of mine put Me onto DaJuan when he was a Camden Freshman at the Prime Time Shootout several years back. My customer said DaJuan was by far the best player there. HE WAS 14 YEARS OLD! However, I said to My customer the same thing I initially said to you..................." I WISH YOU COULD OF SEEN HIS FATHER PLAY!"
  • Yes I must have seen you along the way. I've followed St. Pat's ever since Shaheen Holloway was a frosh in '94, when they knocked my school team out of the counties.

    We loved Robert and Grant, players both had heart and were talented too. Grant's dad still goes to some games.

    If you can make it out to a game or 2 I'd like to meet you. I will be down in Trenton for the Prime Time this year.
  • Ibocoupe
    I remember seeing Shaheen play that year as well. It was a game against Marist and Marist also had a tough guard named Randy Encarnacion! I intend to make it a point to get to the Prime Time this year. It would be nice to sit and talk to about various aspects of high school hoops. Though I'm a native Princetonian I have to admit that I've been a staunch Trenton High fan since the mid 70's. Looking forward to meeting You as Well.
  • Yes, he was a really tough guard. Donnell Williams, Roscoe Harris and he were a tough trio.....pretty sure they played on the same team although could be wrong.

    I played at Union Catholic. We knocked out Paterson Catholic in Parochial B when Tim Thomas was a frosh. They had Donnell Pauldo, Rodney Rogers, and Stanley Jackson who went on to play football at Ohio State. We were gunning for Marist or St. Anthony but got upset by Essex Catholic. Oh well ;)

    I look forward to the same. Please do keep in touch!
  • Ibocoupe
    Yes Donnell Williams played in that game as well. Did you ever see Troy Murphy at Delbarton?
  • No I didn't but my father did. Said that he didn't look great. Coaching legend Buzzy Fox, who we used to sit with at games sometimes said that he looked soft. We couldn't figure out why he was going to Notre Dame and he becomes one of the leading rebounders in the NBA.

    To be fair I know that he excelled with Sandy and the Roadrunners during AAU when playing with equally talented players. That being said you just never know how someone will turn out.
  • Ibocoupe
    I found out about him late at Delbarton and couldn't wait to see him on Tv at Notre Dame. I gotta admit I was impressed with how he moved in space in the lanes. He had an nice touch as well. Going back to what You said about playing with equally talented players, he definitely looked like he belonged. Still does.
  • Ibocoupe
    Would of been nice if You could have seen Dajuan's father Milt play! Whoa! He was the star of one of the greatest High school teams EVER! The Camden(NJ) High teams of 1980 and 81! On paper that 1980 team probably had the biggest starting five of All Time( Public School). Don Jones 6-9 C, Milt Wagner 6-5 G, Gary Timberlake 6-4 G, David Kelly 6-6 F, and David Ware 6-7 F. WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?
blog comments powered by Disqus