EVENTS
 Sportsman of the Year
 Heisman Trophy
 Swimsuit 2001

CNNSI.com GROUP
 Sports Illustrated
 Life of Reilly
 SI Women
 SI for Kids
 Press Room
 TBS/TNT Sports
 CNN Languages

COMMERCE
 SI Customer Service
 SI Media Kits
 Get into College
 Sports Memorabilia
 TeamStore

Underclassmen lead small forwards

Click here for more on this story

The last time we looked in-depth at high school small forwards was in late September, when the post-summer/preseason top 30 seniors at that position were identified in this space. Now, however, all prep small forwards, regardless of class in school, will be compared in our end-of-season look at the nation's top 33 players at this slot.

Note that the senior crop of small forwards, while adequate, is unexceptional. North Carolina signee Jawad Williams from suburban Cleveland overtook previous No. 1 senior small forward James White, even though Florida recruit White, a Maryland native prepping in Virginia, did finish the season quite strongly for once-beaten powerhouse Hargrave Military Academy. Advancing quite rapidly into the top three seniors at this position was Seton Hall signee John Allen, a Pennsylvanian who arguably had the best senior season of any of the most touted small forwards.

Nevertheless, the most impressive high school small forwards in 2000-20001 were a precocious sophomore from Akron and a New York junior (albeit old for his class) who transferred to a New Jersey school and was thus ineligible for much of the season. We're referring, respectively, to 6-6 LeBron James and 6-6 Lenny Cooke. James, you may recall, burned nationally top-ranked Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy for 33 points in a one-point loss, while Cooke, who earned a huge reputation by being the leading scorer and rebounder at the adidas ABCD Camp in Teaneck, N.J., last summer, showed that sitting out a few months didn't adversely affect his play. Shortly after gaining his eligibility at Old Tappan (N.J.) North Valley Regional, Cooke totaled 52 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists in an 80-41 trouncing of Bergenfield (N.J.) High!

A total of 21 seniors, 10 juniors and two sophomores comprise the list of the top 33 prep small forwards. We're particularly impressed by the depth of prime talent at this position in the junior class, where Cooke may be the sole potential superstar but a host of others are extremely promising. Immediately below is the list of small forwards.

NATIONAL TOP 33 SMALL FORWARDS (regardless of class)
Player	Year	Height	School
1. LeBron James	Sophomore	6-6	Akron (Ohio) St. Vincent-St. Mary
A highly skilled athlete who has averaged over 24 points while pacing his team to an outstanding season (just one loss) versus strong competition.
2. Lenny Cooke	Junior	6-6	Old Tappan (N.J.) North Valley Regional
An extremely aggressive run/jump athlete who accomplished enough in the final month and a half of the season to justify a ranking this high. Because he turns 19 during the 2001-2002 academic year, he may wind up attending a prep school.
3. Jawad Williams	Senior	6-8 1/2	Lakewood (Ohio) St. Edward
North Carolina signee averaged over 23 points and has continued to upgrade both his ballhandling and 3-point shooting.
4. James White	Senior	6-7	Chatham (Va.) Hargrave Military Academy
Florida recruit deluxe leaper who didn't always scintillate for a strong and deep team but came through big-time at the end of the season.
5. John Allen	Senior	6-6	Coatesville (Pa.) High
Future Seton Hall Pirate as cleared of assault charges and went on to have a superb season that included brilliant play at the loaded Slam Dunk to the Beach Holiday Invitational in Delaware.
6. Anthony Richardson	Senior	6-7	Raleigh (N.C.) Leesville Road
Florida State recruit jumps high, hits 3-pointers and averaged nearly 18 points for state large-school (4-A) runner-up Leesville Road. He reportedly needs to upgrade his academic credentials.
7. Andre Patterson	Senior	6-7	Los Angeles Washington Prep
UCLA signee is a deluxe rebounder and transition player who transferred in a year ago from Fort Wayne, Ind., and quickly established himself as one of the premier prep prospects on the West Coast.
8. Dijon Thompson	Senior	6-6	Redondo Beach (Calif.) Redondo Union
Patterson's future Bruins teammate is a highly versatile perimeter player who could end up playing some at wing guard.
9. Quemont Greer	Senior	6-6 1/2	Homestead (Fla.) Berkshire School
DePaul recruit is a physically powerful Milwaukee native who has vastly improved his jump shot and ballhandling during the past two years.
10. Levi Watkins	Senior	6-7 1/2	Rockville (Md.) Montrose Christian
N.C. State signee is a sweet mid-range jump shooter who pared off more than 20 unneeded pounds and consequently has become significantly quicker, faster and a better leaper.
11. Carmelo Anthony	Junior	6-6	Towson (Md.) Towson Catholic
A scorer who enhanced his national stock as much as any player in the class of 2002 via consistently stellar play this season.
12. Lawrence Carrier	Junior	6-8	Salisbury (Conn.) Salisbury School
A skilled California native who has proven himself versus top national competition for the past two years.
13. Evan Burns	Junior	6-7	Los Angeles Fairfax
Possesses enormous talent but must improve his decision-making on the court in order to reach his potential.
14. Curtis Sumpter	Junior	6-7	Brooklyn (N.Y.) Bishop Loughlin
A prime athlete who has worked hard to beef up his perimeter tools. He averaged 19 points and 11 rebounds this season against strong foes.
15. Duane John	Senior	6-6	Homestead (Fla.) Berkshire School
An exciting Canadian wing athlete who transferred in and helped Berkshire to an excellent season (just one loss, by a narrow margin at Oak Hill Academy). Will play for Missouri.
16. Greg Tinch	Senior	6-5	Albany (Ga.) Westover
Louisville football (!) signee is an explosive, 210-pound leaper who could be at least as successful on the hardwood as on the gridiron, where he's a wide receiver.
17. Lester Abrams	Junior	6-5 1/2	Pontiac (Mich.) Northern
A lefty pointmaker who made a very early verbal commitment to Michigan but backed off following the recent firing of Wolverines head coach Brian Ellerbe.
18. Is'mail Muhammad	Senior	6-6	Atlanta (Ga.) Mohammed
A muscular southpaw who possesses outstanding athleticism but needs to hone his perimeter shooting and right-hand dribble. Bound for Georgia Tech.
19. Kelenna Azubuike	Junior	6-6	Tulsa (Okla.) Victory Christian
A Nigerian-American who tallied 35 points per game this season and is getting lots of big-time recruiting attention.
20. Alan Anderson	Senior	6-6	Minneapolis De La Salle
Michigan State recruit emerged on the national scene last summer as an elite athlete who plays much taller than his height and also isn't a bad shooter.
21. Chuck Hayes	Seior	6-6 1/2	Modesto (Calif.) Modesto Christian
A strong combination forward who led his team to the Division I (large-school) state finals. Headed to Kentucky.
22. Roger Powell	Senior	6-6	Joliet (Ill.) Township
Illinois signee does everything well on the court but nothing exceptionally.
23. Jamaal Williams	Senior	6-6	Corona (Calif.) Centennial
New Mexico recruit has made himself into a small forward (instead of a power forward) by working very hard on his 3-point stroke and ballhandling.
24. Larry O'Bannon	Senior	6-5	Louisville (Ky.) Male
Has been on the rise as his perimeter shot has gotten steadier. He's considering Dayton, Cincinnati, Louisville, Kentucky, Tennessee, Colorado, Maryland and perhaps others.
25. Matt Trannon	Junior	6-7	Flint (Mich.) Northern
An excellent rebounder and defender who needs more consistency on his jump shot.
26. Matt Sylvester	Senior	6-7 1/2	Cincinnati Moeller
Ohio State signee is a cerebral player with a dangerous mid-range jump shot.
27. Marcellus Sommerville	Senior	6-6	Peoria (Ill.) Central
A good athlete who has developed into a fine long-range bomber and will play for Iowa.
28. Karl Hollingsworth	Senior	6-5	Jonesboro (Ga.) Mount Zion
A husky wing who can score a lot of different ways and is headed for Tulane.
29. Erroll Knight	Senior	6-5	Seattle Chief Sealth
A swift transition player who plays especially good defense and will stay at home and enroll at Washington.
30. Matt Walsh	Junior	6-5	Fort Washington (Pa.) Germantown Academy
A scorer who averaged 22 points for a well-balanced 27-3 team.
31. Hakim Warrick	Senior	6-9	Philadelphia (Pa.) Friends Central
Syracuse recruit is a natural perimeter operator who emerged onto the national scene via strong showings at major events last summer.
32. Bobby Perry	Sophomore	6-7	Durham (N.C.) Hillside
A highly talented young athlete who had a very good season versus large-school foes.
33. Lee Melchionni	Junior	6-7	Fort Washington (Pa.) Germantown Academy
A fundamentally sound left-hander with excellent blood lines (father Gary started for Duke and uncle Bill was a Villanova All-America) who averaged 16 points as Matt Walsh's teammate.

Regional Notes

For each geographic region, we've identified an underclass sleeper at small forward to watch for in the future. In addition, some recent verbal commitments, decommitments, school transfers and entries into the 2001 NBA draft are mentioned.

EAST

Dominguez captured its third consecutive Division II state title even though 7-1 senior star C Tyson Chandler, who not surprisingly announced on March 19 that he's entering the NBA draft this June, didn't play the final games because of a severely sprained ankle that apparently will also keep him out of postseason all-star games. Or is Chandler afraid that a poor performance will adversely affect his NBA stock?

Brick Oettinger is talent evaluator for the Prep Stars Recruiter's Handbook and recruiting columnist for the ACC Area Sports Journal. For more information on either publication, call 1-800-447-7667.

 

Related information
Stories
Recruiting Watch with Brick Oettinger Archive
Multimedia
Visit Multimedia Central for the latest audio and video
Search our site	Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day
	Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call your cable operator or DirecTV.

Copyright © 2001 CNN/Sports Illustrated An AOL Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Read our privacy guidelines.