The future appeared to be filled with great guard play, long-range jumpers and championships for the Highland Hawks of Gilbert, Ariz., just five months ago.
Highland lost in Arizona’s 5A Division I (largest classification) state championship game to St. Mary’s of Phoenix March 7, but behind a pair of star sophomore backcourt players – 6-foot-3 point guard Matt Carlino and 6-4 shooting guard Nick Johnson – the team posted a 29-4 record and won 12 straight coming down the stretch.
With Indiana verbal commitment Carlino and Johnson, also a highly-coveted recruit with offers from teams like Gonzaga and Arizona State, big things were expected at the Gilbert (just east of Phoenix) school over the next two years.
Carlino, the son of then-coach Mark Carlino, posted averages of 19.7 points 6.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game last winter, solidifying his reputation as one of the top players in the class of 2011.
Johnson averaged 14.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game for the Hawks. He posted a season-high 32 points against a strong Harvard-Westlake program from North Hollywood, Calif.
But just as quickly as the dynamic duo helped Highland rise to notoriety, it’s all going away.
In late May, the Carlino family elected to head to Bloomington, Ind., two years early, allowing Matt to begin the integration process with the Tom Crean’s Hoosiers, participate in the Indiana Elite summer program and play for defending 4A state champion Bloomington South High School.
That left Highland without not just its star point guard, but also a head coach.
“The fact that I gave up coaching was a small sacrifice in trying to help Matt pursue his dreams,” Mark Carlino told MaxPreps in June. “Playing Indiana high school basketball, playing for a great coach, a great program and being able to participate a lot with IU, those were all contributing factors.”
This week Johnson announced he was on his way out, as well. He will head to Findlay Prep outside of Las Vegas to join a talented cast of players under Pilot coach Michael Peck.
“We’re very excited about the two-year outlook with Nick,” Peck said in a released statement. “He will be a key part in continuing to build on what the program has accomplished and he will help us continue to compete at the national level.”
2011 star Austin Rivers (Winter Park, Fla.)
Photo by Jim Redman
Teams for the Aug. 7-9 Nike Global Challenge at Liberty High School in Hillsboro, Ore., have been revealed.
The event consists of three teams from the United States made up of top high school stars, as well as squads representing Brazil, Canada, Senegal and Serbia. A fifth international team is also in the field with players from Australia and China.
The eight teams will play a conventional bracket with each playing three games over three days beginning Friday at 2 p.m.
The USA Midwest team is highlighted by Iowa star Harrison Barnes (Ames) and 6-11 Texan Perry Jones (Duncanville, Texas), who is coming off a great showing in Las Vegas.
USA East features Kyrie Irving (St. Patrick, Elizabeth, N.J.), Josh Selby (Lake Clifton, Baltimore, Md.) and a promising 2012 prospect in DaJuan Coleman (Jamesville-DeWitt, N.Y.).
USA West/South includes hometown boy Terrence Jones (Jefferson), Quincy Miller (Quality Education Academy, Winston-Salem, N.C.) and Austin Rivers (Winter Park, Fla.).
Notables from the international squads include Gonzaga signee Mangisto Arop (Canada), Kyle Wiltjer (Canada, but plays at Portland’s Jesuit High School), Myck Kabongo (Canada, St. Benedict’s Prep, N.J.) and Papa Samba Ndao (Senegal, Montverde Academy, Fla.).
Click here for complete roster information.
ELITE 24 PARTICIPANTS ANNOUNCED
Half the participants for the Boost Mobile Elite 24 were announced Wednesday. The event is scheduled for Aug. 22 at New York City’s Rucker Park and will be televised live on ESPNU. Some will be coming off appearances at the above Nike Global Challenge
Seniors Barnes, Will Barton (Brewster Academy, Wolfeboro, N.H.), Harris, C.J. Leslie (Word of God, Raleigh, N.C.), Kendall Marshall (Bishop O’Connell, Arlington, Va.), Josh Smith (Kentwood, Covington, Wash.), Roscoe Smith (Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, Va.), Jared Sullinger (Northland, Columbus, Ohio) and Tristan Thompson (Findlay Prep, Henderson, Nev.) highlight the first 12 selections for the fourth annual event.
Rising juniors Rakeem Christmas (North Catholic, Philadelphia, Pa.), Rivers and Tony Wroten Jr. (Garfield, Seattle, Wash.) also earned an invitation to the Big Apple’s venerable playground.
