D-3 Hoops Top 10 Team vs. USA Today High School Top 10 Team

[Mr. Ypsi]

Sounds weird but I think high school kids might have trouble if they played a 40 minute clock.  The pace of a high school game is so much different than college, one aspect that sometimes catches first year college players off gaurd a little.  8 minutes doesnt' sound like a lot but its 25% more basketball for the high schoolers.

Not to mention the change from 8-minute quarters to 20-minute halves.

Still, I think the top d3 schools would have little chance against the elite academies, who recruit the top players from the whole country - including that team in Las Vegas which is not even a high school!  But I think elite d3 teams could probably handle nearly any 'real' high school (most years, for example, I think Hope or Calvin would probably beat the Michigan hs champ).

I would disagree with that in some years.  Not some recent Class A state championship teams maybe but even this years champ Detroit Pershing could probably win a game or two.  Nix is 6-9, 280 lbs or more, Hope's tallest player on the floor most of the year was 6-5, sometimes 6-8.  Nix will be at Michigan State next year.  Keith Appling is a 6-3 gaurd, no one from Hope or Calvin could gaurd him, he'll be at Michigan State next year and probably win Mr. Basketball.  Juwan Howard Jr. didn't even play in the state title game from injury, I think he goes 6-6 or so.

One thing to remember is what a big difference a star player can make.  I've often thought the difference between winning and losing in D3 can be just one player.  Well these guys would be ultra "one players" vs D3 competition.  Detroit Country Day alone has had I think 5 state Championships with Chris Weber and Shane Battier.  Some of the Flint teams all through the 80's were unreal.   Andre Rison was an outstanding player for  Flint Northwestern and basketball wasn't even his main sport, that team also had Mr. Basketball Glenn Rice.  Some of those A Champs in the 80's and 90's were pretty great.

The high school teams obvious handicap is youth and physical size.  But the talent is often much better.   Patrick Lucas-Perry was a soph for  Flint Powers Catholic and I don't think I saw a faster, quicker gaurd all year in D3, he's 15.  I imagine in 3 years he'll be on a d1 roster somewhere.  Korey VanDussen for Zeeland East was every bit as good as anyone the MIAA has right now. 

I think you might be underestimating the talent of some of the better high school teams in our state.  All speculation of course.

Don't want to get too parochial on a national-topic board, but Country Day (IMO) and some others are somewhere between 'real' high schools and athletic academies.  There have been a handful of 'real' (i.e., no recruiting outside the geographical boundaries) Michigan hs teams that would trounce Calvin or Hope (in addition to the Detroit or Flint teams you mentioned, I'd include Magic Johnson's Lansing team ), which is why I specified 'most years'), but usually, despite perhaps having the single best player on the floor, the hs would also have some exploitable weaknesses - 'real' high schools will rarely have the depth necessary to beat a top-notch d3 program.  (Of course, I also said 'most years' since occasionally neither Hope or Calvin is 'top-notch'. )

[sac]

I really don't think whether a high school can recruit is relevant, particularly since in the MHSAA's eyes there's nothing to the rumors ( ).  I don't think anyone would bet against Oak Hill vs most D3's, but those schools reputations far outweigh their actual numbers.  Those kinds of schools are few and far between.  The aforementioned Country Day had as many as 9 potential D1 prospects, yet didn't even win our Class B title (again).

Pershing is a "real" high school, with real inner city kids and problems.................and for what its worth, there really aren't any "real" high schools in Michigan anymore with school of choice.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

FIRST TEAM (Name, School, City, Height)
Brandon Jennings - Oak Hill Academy - Mouth of Wilson, Va. - 6'2"
Samardo Samuels - St. Benedict's - Newark, N.J. - 6'9"
Tyreke Evans    - American Christian - Aston, Pa.    - 6'6"
Jrue Holiday - Campbell Hall - North Hollywood, Calif. - 6'4"
Tyler Zeller - Washington - Washington, Ind. - 7'0"
Al-Farouq Aminu - Norcross - Norcross, Ga. - 6'9"
B.J. Mullens - Canal Winchester - Canal Winchester, Ohio - 7'1"
Demar DeRozan - Compton - Compton, Calif. - 6'6"
William Buford - Libbey - Toledo, Ohio - 6'5"
Greg Monroe - Helen Cox - Harvey, La. - 6'10"

Thats last springs Parade high school all-american team.

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Pos.  Name  Yr. School Hometown 
G Andrew Olson Sr. Amherst San Diego, Calif. 
G Kent Raymond Jr. Wheaton (Ill.) New Palestine, Ind.
G James Cooper Sr. Wooster Springfield, Ohio 
F Troy Ruths Sr. Washington U. Sugar Land, Texas
C Ben Strong Sr. Guilford Chapel Hill, N.C.   
G Anthony Williams Sr. Plattsburgh State Brooklyn, N.Y.
G Nick Shattuck Sr. Ursinus Ardlsey, Pa.
F Larry Welton Sr. Aurora Chicago, Ill.
F Kyle White Sr. Loras Antioch, Ill.
C Edrick Montgomery Sr. Millsaps Pearl, Miss.

Thats the D3hoops 1st and 2nd team all-americans.

This is a much more interesting list now that we've seen most of the high school guys play a whole season of d1 ball.  I think the HS players would be the favorites, but I don't think you could count out the d3 players at all.  In fact, if both teams had a chance to practice together for a few weeks ahead of time, the discipline and experience of the d3 players would definitely become a factor.  (Not to mention that Ben Strong would be the best big man on the floor and not a small factor.)

[mark_reichert]

exploitable weaknesses - 'real' high schools will rarely have the depth necessary to beat a top-notch d3 program. 

Rarely, but on 60 Minutes I learned that James and his buddies McGee, Joyce III, and Cotton all enrolled in St. Vincent–St. Mary High School at the same time.  They at least had experience playing with him.

[WashUDad]

My son's high school has the top sophomore from the state of Arkansas.  He is 6'10" and had a 6'9" student coach that played for a NAIA school. The student coach couldn't keep up at all.
And that is the top recruit from Arkansas ..so you get the top recruits from the nation I think the H.S. all-stars would win if they had any chemistry as a team at all.