| 02 August 2010
John Wall and Tyreke Evans helped make names for themselves here.
Now Austin Rivers, Bradley Beal and the rest of the hoops world hope to do the same.
The fourth annual Nike Global Challenge will bring many of the best high school basketball players in the world to Hillsboro this coming weekend and we’ll be (www.twitter/beyondthebeat) there to take it all in and provide coverage leading up to and during the event.
The three-day tournament features 30 of the top prep players in the United States competing in three teams of ten--USA East, USA Midwest, USA West--against international under-19 teams from Nigeria, France, Canada, Brazil, and Asia (detailed rosters coming soon). The tournament tips off at 2 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 6, with the USA Midwest team facing Nigeria. Four games per day will be held at Hillsboro's Liberty High School, with tipoff times at 2 p.m., 4 p.m., 6 p.m., and 8 p.m.
This year's tournament features 5 top 10 prep prospects for 2011 (according to Rivals), including Austin Rivers - son of Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers - who is among the top three best players in the country and one of the more versatile guards of the event.
ESPNU ranks Rivers as the number 2 prospect in the nation, behind consensus number one Michael Gilchrist.
Rivers is a 6-foot-4 guard from Winter Park, Florida, with the ability to score from beyond the arc and off the dribble using a lightning quick first step to get to the rim. According to published reports, Rivers may decide to attend Duke after his senior season at Winter Park, but he will likely wait until the spring signing period before making a decision.
Sixth-ranked Bradley Beal, a 6-foot 4 shooting guard from St. Louis, will also be in attendance for the Nike Global Challange. Beal committed to the University of Florida and can play both sides of the ball. A high-level defender, his pure shot may call forth memories of a young Ray Allen.
Seattle's Anthony Wroten – the 6-foot 4 point guard out of Garfield High School – will hold down the region and should have a crowd following. While Wroten hasn't decided where he'll play collegiately after his senior season, his long list of potential schools includes the University of Washington.
According to Rivals, Oregon State University has extended an offer to Nick Johnson, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard from Arizona. Johnson is rated as the 13th shooting guard in the class of 2011 and will participate in the Nike Global Challenge in Hillsboro.
In a matter of four short years, the Nike Global Challenge has showcased some of the best young talent who now look to make their mark on the NBA.
Along with Wall and Evans – the 2010 NBA Rookie of the Year - DeMar DeRozan and Ed Davis (Toronto Raptors), DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings), Greg Monroe (Detroit Pistons) and Xavier Henry (Memphis Grizzlies) are among the previous participants.
Will Rivers and Beal join that list one day?
Chances are we’ll get an early look this weekend.
photo: suntimes
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