As NBA Free Agency has dominated the headlines in the summer months of baseball, we, at NextGenSports, decided to turn out attention to the high basketball season. In recent years of McDonalds’ All-Americans and constant scouting, the high school level t has become a star-driven brand of basketball. Nevertheless, we wanted to get back to the roots of the next NBA stars around the country, looking at the schools themselves. Starting from 10 and making our way to number one, we will be profiling the best high school basketball teams in the land. Look for #9 coming soon…

Number 10: Montverde Academy
Montverde, Florida
2009-2010 record: 23-5
Coach: Kevin Sutton
Last season, expectations were high once again. Yes, star center Ruslan Pateev had graduated, and he has attended Arizona State on a basketball scholarship. More important, however, James Bell (right) returned for his senior season. The 6 foot 5 inch point guard was considered one of the best shooters in the country. Bell skyrocketed up national prospect rankings towards the end of last season, excelling specifically against fellow powerhouse Findlay Prep. Scouts loved the Orlando native’s prowess in the paint, as well. He utilized his size often to overpower smaller guards, similar to Denver Nuggets’ guard, Chauncey Billups.

At forward, Jamail Jones did it all. He was extremely versatile, able to play shooting guard, small forward and power forward. Jones possessed a unique maturity about the game of basketball, and he recognized the importance of shot selection. Therefore, he was a guy who will always have a high field goal percentage. After committing to Marquette, Jones had been compared to former Golden Eagles’ star and current Jazz swingman Wes Matthews. Personally, the Georgia product considers himself in the mold of Carmelo Anthony. Read More→