Beach Ball Classic to boast one of its best fields in years

It has been awhile since this amount of boys high school basketball talent was on display at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.

Sure, the Beach Ball Classic attracts some of the better teams and players from around the country each year.

But the 31st edition of the event, being played Tuesday through Saturday, features the best players the nation has to offer, and harks back to the glory days of the holiday hoops tournament.

“I think the talent level we have here is the best we’ve had since we had Kobe Bryant, Michael Bibby and Jermaine O’Neal,” said Beach Ball executive director and Myrtle Beach mayor John Rhodes.

That was 1995, which was near the end of a stretch in which the likes of Kevin Garnett, Rasheed Wallace, Vince Carter, Baron Davis, Jason Kidd, Antawn Jamison, Grant Hill, Kenny Anderson and Jimmy Jackson played in Myrtle Beach.

Creating much of the buzz about this year’s Beach Ball are 6-foot-6 guard Shabazz Muhammad of Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), who is considered the top senior in the country, and versatile 6-9 forward Julius Randle of Prestonwood Christian (Plano, Texas), who is considered the top junior by many.

Jahlil Okafor, a 6-11 center from Whitney Young High (Chicago), is the consensus No. 1 center in the sophomore class.

“It’s the best group of teams John has had in quite some time,” said Kevin Schneider, vice president and national recruiting director for the Big Shots recruiting service and tournament operator based in Myrtle Beach. “They have the best player in the country in the 2012 class and 2013 class, and the top big in the country in the 2014 class.”

That trio is the cream of the crop, and it’s a strong crop. To begin with, all three stars have talent around them.

Bishop Gorman won the Beach Ball in 2009. Senior Rosco Allen (6-7) has committed to Stanford and may be the top small forward on the West Coast. Senior forward Ben Carter (6-8) is long and versatile and has signed with Oregon, forward Demetris Morant (6-9) is headed to UNLV, and center Ronnie Stanley (6-7) will play offensive tackle for the Notre Dame football team. Muhammad’s younger brother Rashad, a 6-4 junior, is also talented. “That team will be fun to watch,” Schneider said.

Prestonwood’s Randle and Jabari Parker of Simeon High (Chicago) are considered No. 1 and No. 2 in the junior class, the order depending on the recruiting service. Prestonwood also features 6-9 center and Kansas signee Zach Peters, and 6-7 freshman Mike Mitchell, a lefty with good hands, shooting ability and instincts.

Prestonwood is coming off a title last week in the prestigious City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, Fla., where it defeated Bishop Gorman 76-70 – Shabazz Muhammad had 42 in the loss – and beat nationally-ranked Grace Prep of Texas by 20 points in the championship game.

“I thought Gorman was the clear cut [Beach Ball] favorite, but since Prestonwood won that tournament in Florida, I don’t know,” Rhodes said.

Whitney Young has perhaps the tournament’s most formidable front line led by Okafor but is young. Okafor, who played on the 2011 USA Junior team, is joined by 6-8 senior and Colorado State commitment Jermaine Morgan, 6-9 junior Thomas Hamilton and top-15 sophomore 6-9 forward Paul White. Miles Reynolds, a 6-2 sophomore, is also a Division I prospect.

Lone Peak is the reigning Utah state champion and features three BYU commitments. Junior guard Nick Emery became the first sophomore to be named Mr. Basketball in Utah after averaging 21 points per game. Also committed to BYU are junior 6-8 power forward Eric Mika and 6-4 sophomore guard T.J. Haws. “They’ll be tough to beat because they play really well together,” Schneider said.

St. Augustine (New Orleans) is the defending Louisiana state champion, and 6-7 junior forward Craig Victor is a top-15 sophomore who was once ranked the top player in his class. Scoring senior point guard Javan Felix (5-11) has committed to Texas.

Milton (Ga.) 6-7 senior forward Evan Nolte is one of the better shooters in the Southeast and has signed with Virginia. He’s complemented by Auburn commitment Shaq Johnson, an athletic 6-5 senior forward, and 6-4 point guard Charles Mann, who has committed to Georgia.

Ballard (Ky.) is talented but young. Sophomore 6-1 point guard Quentin Snider is a top-10 sophomore who has committed to Louisville, and 6-6 sophomore forward Kelan Martin and 6-0 junior guard Lavonne Holland are also Division I prospects.

Scott County (Ky.) senior Tamron Manning will be among the best shooters in the tournament, and Miami Senior High has a strong lineup of guards.

Rye High (N.Y.) is notable for its strong lineage. The team features 6-5 junior and leading scorer Max Twyman, the grandson of NBA Hall of Famer Jack Twyman, and 5-11 shooting guard Michael D’Antoni, the son of New York Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni and nephew of Beach Ball founder and Knicks assistant Dan D’Antoni.

Representing South Carolina in the field are Gaffney, Lexington, Myrtle Beach and Socastee.

Lexington features 6-2 shooting guard Shaq Roland, who is Mr. Football in South Carolina and a University of South Carolina commitment in football in addition to being an all-state basketball player. Gaffney’s L.J. Peak, a versatile 6-4 small forward, is ranked among the top 15 sophomores in the nation by some services and is a strong scorer and rebounder.

Because Muhammad, Randle, Okafor and many of the other top players in the tournament are not committed to colleges, the convention center should be filled with college coaches and scouts. North Carolina and Duke are among the schools that have said they’ll be present.

“They did a phenomenal job putting this tournament together, pulling a lot of the top teams out of several states,” Schneider said. “Looking at the event there will be some really good matchups.”