Some are middle-school prodigies backing up their reputations for the first time, while others have come from less ballyhooed backgrounds to earn the attention of college coaches.
Every season of high school basketball has its breakout performers. MaxPreps has identified 20 underclassmen making the jump from “in development” to “difference maker.”
Jahii Carson, Mesa
File photo by Todd Shurtleff
Devonta Abron, 6-7, F, Seagoville (Texas)
Lincoln’s LeBryan Nash, another Dallas-area junior of similar stature, has overshadowed Abron to some degree until this season. The lefty has proven he is a big-time talent in his own right, posting averages of 24.0 points and 13.3 rebounds per game. He exploded for 38 points and 12 rebounds in a win against Dallas Carter on Jan. 6.
Jaylen Bond, 6-7, F, Plymouth Whitemarsh (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.)
Bond and 6-10 senior C.J. Aiken have been a formidable duo this season, leading the Colonials to a 13-0 record and No. 20 national ranking.
Jahii Carson, 5-10, G, Mesa (Ariz.)
Carson, an Oregon State commitment, has made the most of his transfer from Mountain Pointe to Mesa, running the show for the 16-3 Jackrabbits and tacking up 23.7 points and 5.0 assists per game. He was impressive at the MaxPreps Holiday Classic in December, scoring big against Los Angeles powers Taft (25 points) and Fairfax (30).
Branden Dawson, 6-6, W/F, Lew Wallace (Gary, Ind.)
Dawson has several Big 10 schools in hot pursuit and those recruiting efforts will intensify as he continues to eat up points and rebounds. He is averaging 25.9 points and 15.6 rebounds per game, including monster double-doubles against quality opponents like Milwaukee Vincent (40 points, 15 rebounds), Detroit Country Day (27, 14) and East St. Louis (36, 18).
Chris Jones, 5-9, G, Melrose (Memphis, Tenn.)
Despite his 5-9 frame, Jones is the lead dog for nationally-ranked Melrose, a program that also features fellow 2011 standouts Adonis Thomas and Bobby Parks Jr. Jones is posting 19.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 5.4 steals per game. He popped for 50 points against Memphis Central in November.
Tony Kimbro, 6-6, G/W, Christ School (Arden, N.C.)
Kimbro has waited patiently for his opportunity to shine at talent-rich Christ School after being tabbed as one of the nation’s top freshman two years ago at Louisville Manual. Playing with at least six other future Division I talents, Kimbro is tallying 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game for the Greenies, ranked No. 10 in this week’s MaxPreps Xcellent 25.
Timmy Knipp, 6-7, F, Elliott County (Sandy Hook, Ky.)
Knipp is showing why he is considered one of Kentucky’s best from the class of 2011, averaging 30.6 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.4 blocked shots per game. Elliott County is 14-5 behind his scoring exploits, which include a season-high 48 points Dec. 11 against McKee Jackson County.
Myles Mack, 5-9, G, Paterson Catholic (Paterson, N.J.)
On a team loaded with Division I talent, Mack has pulled the nationally-ranked Cougars through in some big games this season. In a 91-85 win over Newark Nia Prep on Jan. 18, Mack pumped in 28 points and handed out seven assists.
Josiah Turner, 6-3, G, Sacramento (Calif.)
Turner is flourishing in a lead role with former Dragon star Chase Tapley now a freshman at San Diego State. The one-time Arizona State commitment tallied 48 points and seven rebounds Dec. 28 in a 71-70 win over Pasadena.
Stuart Wesonga, 6-6, F, San Marin (Novato, Calif.)
Born in Kenya, Wesonga is an athletic marvel, swatting away 7.2 shots per game to go along with gaudy averages of 23.4 points and 15.2 rebounds per game. Wesonga, who summers with Drew Gooden’s Oakland Soldiers, had a monster triple-double of 44 points, 23 rebounds and 11 blocked shots in December against San Francisco Lincoln.
Amir Williams, 6-10, F, Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.)
Despite an injury that has kept him out of games for the last two weeks, Williams is shedding the “project big man” label and becoming a force for nationally-ranked Detroit Country Day. Williams is averaging 14.0 points, 10.1 rebounds and 4.8 blocked shots alongside National Player of the Year candidate Ray McCallum Jr. He posted a 14-point, 10-rebound, 11-block triple-double Melvindale Business and Tech on Dec. 12.
Sophomores
Michael Frazier, 6-3, W, Plant (Tampa, Fla.)
Plant has been up and down, but Frazier’s production has been steady averaging 26.0 points and 7.8 rebounds per contest. Frazier had two 40-point games in a span of nine days earlier in the season and the St. Petersburg Times reported in December that several SEC schools were tracking hard.
Shabazz Muhammad, 6-5, G, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.)
After learning the ropes as a freshman at Bishop Gorman, head coach Grant Rice has let his sophomore star loose this season. An injury kept him out of the lineup in late December and early January, but a 29-point performance against Colony of Ontario, Calif., over the MLK holiday weekend showed he is back. Muhammad is averaging 16.3 points per game.
Mitch Penner, 6-4, W/F, Kennedy Catholic (Burien, Wash.)
Penner’s name came up several times over the summer when talk of top Northwest underclassmen surfaced. The buzz will continue to build if he keeps shooting the way he has so far as a sophomore. Penner is hitting 52 percent from the field, 46 percent from beyond the 3-point arc and 85 percent from the foul line, culminating in 21.9 points per game.
Aaron Simpson, 6-1, G, North Chicago (Ill.)
Simpson is a known commodity in Chicago with a reputation as arguably the area’s best sophomore. He is making a strong case for the type of acclaim this winter, averaging 23.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists a night.
Maurice Watson Jr., 5-10, G, Boys’ Latin Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.)
The son of Boys’ Latin Charter head coach Maurice Watson is making folks in Philly take notice of a new program on the local high school scene, averaging 21.9 points and 7.4 assists per game.
Jabari Parker, Simeon
File photo by Greg Behrens
D.J. Fenner, 6-5, G, Seattle Prep (Seattle, Wash.)
Originally ticketed to play for Gonzaga in Washington, D.C., Fenner wound up at Seattle Prep. The son of former NFL fullback Derrick Fenner, he is averaging 17.7 points per game in the rugged Metro League.
Thomas Hamilton, 6-10, F, Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.)
On a roster crammed with future college players, the Dolphins don’t need much from Hamilton but he is carving out 10.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game primarily coming off the bench.
Jabari Parker, 6-6, G/F, Simeon (Chicago, Ill.)
Parker made history by becoming the first freshman to play on the Simeon varsity team, which is especially impressive considering the program produced Derrick Rose. He scored 16 points in his Wolverine debut and produced the same total last weekend in a loss to nationally-ranked Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.) at the Hoophall Classic.
