Posted on Sat, Feb. 23, 2008
The Philadelphia area has long been a hotbed for top-flight basketball talent.
Wilt Chamberlain, arguably the greatest to play the game, was a skinny post player at Philadelphia’s Overbrook High in the 1950s. Kobe Bryant led Lower Merion to a Pennsylvania state title in 1996, just months before the NBA snatched him up in the first round.
Camden’s Dajuan Wagner scored 100 points in a single game in 2001.
Seven seasons later, Chester native and American Christian guard Tyreke Evans is the latest in a long list of McDonald’s all-Americans to sprout from this area.
To whom will Evans pass the torch? Will it be Glen Mills’ Aaric Murray? How about Roman Catholic’s Maalik Wayns or Paulsboro’s Daryus Quarles? Time will tell.
The one constant is that the Philadelphia area will continue to produce top hoops talent.
Today, The Inquirer launches Above the Rim: The Inquirer’s Nifty Fifty. Based on observation and input from area coaches and recruiting analysts, we have ranked the top 50 high school basketball players in Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania suburbs, and South Jersey.
The rankings, available at
http://go.philly.com/boyshoops50, are based on how a player projects at the next level. Performance, physical tools and leadership qualities count in the equation.
The Inquirer’s high school basketball writers will update the online rankings throughout the playoff season, AAU tournament season, and summer camp season, offering analysis and recruiting information on all the top players.
So, what are you waiting for? Check us out.
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