The first ALL-USA team in 1983 had only one player taller than 6-foot-7 — Dave Popson of Bishop O’Reilly (Kingston, Pa.), who was 6-10 and would go on to play for North Carolina and for four NBA teams. Last year’s ALL-USA squad had only one player, Trevon Duval, shorter than 6-7 and a front court of three players 6-10 or taller, led by 7-1 center DeAndre Ayton, now at Arizona.
That’s not the only thing that’s changed about elite high school players. Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) coach Steve Smith, who had 13 ALL-USA players in 32 seasons, says today’s elite players are more physically ready and versatile.
“Back then, a kid who was 6-8 would be in the post,” Smith said. “Now, they’re 6-8 and playing on the wing. What’s changed is the athleticism and size of the players. I think a lot of it has to do with how serious kids are nowadays. They also tend to zone in on one sport and they play basketball year-around. There was AAU ball back then, but it was just one tournament and players didn’t play all spring and summer.”
One thing in common for most of the players selected is they didn’t need much college seasoning.
Three of the first-teamers (James, Bryant and Garnett) and one third-teamer, Dwight Howard, went straight from high school to the NBA and of the 15 players on the first three teams, only Mourning and Grant Hill played four years of college basketball.
MORE: First Team | Second Team | Third Team
Below are the players selected to the American Family Insurance 35th Anniversary ALL-USA Boys Basketball Team.