Video: Top 10 High School Basketball Players of the Decade
See who dominated the high school hardwood in the 2010s.
As the calendar turns and a new decade commences, we begin to reminisce on the previous decade of high school basketball.
Our list of the Top 10 high school basketball players of the decade takes into account the prep success of each player and doesn't factor the next-level accomplishments or accolades.
Looking back at the previous decade, there was an abundance of talented players to chose from, as players like Nigel Williams-Goss, Romeo Langford, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Trae Young, James Wiseman and Shabazz Muhammad narrowly missed the cut.
In the end, these 10 players distinguished themselves above the rest with spectacular high school basketball careers.
Zion Williamson, Spartanburg Day
File photo by Alik McIntosh
Named 2014 Gatorade national Player of the Year after averaging 20.9 points, 13.9 rebounds 6.1 blocks per game. Towns led St. Joseph to its first New Jersey Tournament of Champions title, finishing 30-2 during his senior campaign. The Dominican Republic native posted a pair of quadruple-doubles in his high school career, dropping 16 points, 17 rebounds, 11 blocks and 11 assists as a junior and 20 points, 14 rebounds, 12 blocks and 10 assists during his senior year.
Became the first non-senior last season to win MaxPreps National Boys
Basketball Player of the Year, averaging 28.6 points, 8.6 assists and 4.1
steals per game. Cooper led the Indians to their first state championship
and unbeaten 32-0 record, winning MVP of both the City of Palms Classic and Bass Pro Tournament of Champions in 2018-19. Though McEachern is down a bit this season, Cooper led the Indians to an 87-4 record in this first three years with the program.
The Palmetto State product put together a dominant high school career, averaging 32 points, 11.3 rebounds three assists, three steals and 2.9 blocks per game in 100 career games. Williamson led Griffins to three consecutive state championships, scoring 3,200 career points while becoming the biggest viral sensation of the decade. As a senior, Williamson averaged 36.4 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.4 steals per game despite playing 19 games due to injury.
The Canadian native played three years of high school basketball after reclassifying from the class of 2019 to 2018 prior to his senior year. Barrett certainly made the most of those three seasons, compiling a 88-7 career record while leading the Eagles to a record-setting fourth GEICO Nationals title as a senior in 2017-18. Barrett was the MaxPreps National Player of the Year in 2017-18, averaging 28.7 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per outing for 35-0 Montverde Academy.
The catalyst of the most entertaining high school basketball team of the decade, Lonzo Ball, was a walking triple-double during his junior and senior seasons. Ball earned 2015-16 MaxPreps Male Athlete of the Year honors, averaging 23.9 points, 11.5 assists and 11.3 rebounds per contest to lead Chino Hills to an unblemished 35-0 record. Chino Hills won both state and national titles in 2015-16, averaging 98.4 points per game and registering a state record 18 100-point games.
Anderson pieced together one of the most dominant careers in Garden State history, compiling a 119-6 record (93-1 in his final three years) over his four-year career. After his sophomore season at Patterson Catholic, the versatile wing transferred to St. Anthony where he would go on to lead the Friars to a 65-0 record with a pair of state and national titles. Anderson was the MaxPreps National Player of the Year in 2011-12 with averages of 14.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists and two blocks per contest.
Capped off a spectacular high school career leading Mater Dei to the No. 1 ranking in the final MaxPreps Top 25 in 2014 with a 35-0 record and the team's fourth consecutive CIF state title. Johnson averaged 25 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game as a senior, producing a number of big time playoff performances in the Monarchs' title run. The Golden State powerhouse went 135-7 during Johnson's tenure at the school, as the elite difference-maker left a lasting imprint on the program.
One of two players in IHSA history to start on four consecutive state championship teams, leading the Wolverines to a 118-15 record. Parker averaged 20 points, nine rebounds, and five assists per game as a junior, earning himself a spot on the cover of Sports Illustrated labeling him "the best high school basketball player since LeBron James." Parker received plenty of accolades throughout his high school career, including being named Illinois Mr. Basketball twice and MaxPreps National Player of the Year as a senior.
Porter had one of the most dominant senior seasons of any player in the MaxPreps era, averaging 37 points and 14 rebounds per game for Nathan Hale, the unbeaten state and national champions. Prior to the arrival of the versatile wing scorer, Nathan Hale finished 3-18 the year prior to Porter's arrival and subsequently finished 5-17 the season following his magical senior season. He piled up over 3,400 career points and also led Father Tolton to a state title run as a junior.
Earns Player of the Decade honors after a tremendous high school career that saw him lead the Eagles to a 62-1 overall record with three Dick's Nationals championships. Simmons averaged 27.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game during a dominant senior campaign, earning MaxPreps National Player of the Year honors in 2014-15. Although Simmons played just over two seasons of high school basketball in the United States, his incredible impact will be felt for years to come.
Ben Simmons, Montverde Academy
File photo by Andrew Bershaw
