National High 5: Sidney, Stephenson on the Brink

Compiled by Mitch Stephens

MaxPreps.com

1. Renardo Sidney to Announce: He won’t be a Bruin

Drum roll please. Fairfax (Los Angeles) senior Renardo Sidney, arguably the nation’s top boys basketball post from the Class of 2009, will announce Sunday his college intentions. It won’t be UCLA, according to the Los Angeles Times. The Bruins were supposedly the front runner but have dropped out for unspecified reasons. The other schools bantered about are USC, Virginia, Arizona State and Mississippi State. We have a suspicion he might follow the path of last year’s national Player of the Year Brandon Jennings to Europe. No evidence, just a hunch.

2. Lance Stephenson to Middle America?

With Sidney’s announcement pending, all eyes are now on Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.) guard Lance Stephenson, who last week passed Sebastian Telfair to become the state career scoring leader and on Wednesday was selected to the McDonald’s All-American game. Stephenson flies to Kansas today to meet with Kansas coach Bill Self and staff. His final college list also includes St. John’s, Maryland and USC. Like Sidney, Europe might be his one-year layover until he hits the NBA hardwood. The most interesting story concerning Stephenson this week - or on any prep sports subject for that matter - was from our own Kevin Askeland, who ranked the 10 best point guards ever to come out of New York City. Good stuff.

3. Hanowski is Minnesota King

You set a touchdown record in Texas, that’s special. Hit the most homers in California. Huge. And if you score the most hockey points in Minnesota, then expect celebrity status. We introduce then the brightest star in the North Star State Ben Hanowski, a senior at Little Falls, who Thursday surpassed the state scoring mark of 378 held by former Detroit Red Wings standout Johnny Pohl. With two goals and an assist in a 9-1 regular-season ending win over St. Cloud Apollo, Hanowski finished with 380 points.  He has 57 goals and 53 assists this season for the Flyers (25-0).

4. Hamilton Heard One More Time

Dominguez (Compton, Calif.) senior and Texas-bound Jordan Hamilton, one of the nation’s top 10 boys basketball players, hasn’t played all season. The CIF's Southern Section hasn’t granted him a hardship waiver in order to compete in his fifth year of high school. Hamilton’s family maintains a learning disability is at the root of the problem and they have appealed all way to CIF Executive Director Marie Ishida, who will announce a decision in the next couple of days. “Hope is still alive,” Dominguez coach Duane Cooper told the Los Angeles Times.   

5. Tragedy, Friendship and Sportsmanship

We know for every scandalous prep story, there are 100 like this. Well, not exactly like this. DeKalb (Ill.) and Madison University (Milwaukee, Wis.) got together for a very pedestrian game of boys basketball last week but the story and acts of compassion, friendship and sportsmanship that came out will hopefully transcend. Read this terrific piece by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel prep editor Art Kabelowsky.