Each year since 2006, MaxPreps has recognized a National Player of the Year in high school basketball.
At the time of the selections, each player seemed destined for superstar status at the college and pro level.
There was basketball's next great 7-footer (Greg Oden), the prototype power forward (Derrick Favors) and the All-American hero from the heartland (Harrison Barnes).
Some have lived up to expectations, but injuries, poor organizational fits and off-the-court issues have sent past Players of the Year on a wide variety of post-high school basketball paths.
2006 – Greg Oden, Lawrence North (Indianapolis)High school: Among the most decorated players in high school basketball history, Oden teamed with Mike Conley in leading Lawrence North to three consecutive state championships. The 7-footer earned Gatorade National Player of the Year honors as a junior in addition to MaxPreps national POY as a senior.
College: Despite an early injury, Oden — once again teaming with Conley — lived up to lofty expectations by leading Ohio State to the national championship game.
NBA: No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. Injuries and off-the-court issues have undermined Oden's professional career. He's played in just 105 games since being drafted in 2007 and missed the entire 2014-15 while sorting out charges related to a domestic violence incident.
2007 – Kevin Love, Lake Oswego (Ore.)High school: Oregon's all-time leading scorer, Love led Lake Oswego to a state title in 2006. The 6-foot-10 forward averaged over 33 points and 17 rebounds per game as a senior.
College: Love's quick stop at UCLA was a successful one as the Bruins won the Pac-12 Conference regular season and tournament titles en route to the Final Four.
NBA: No. 5 overall pick in 2008 draft. Playoff success is about the only thing missing from Love's professional resume. He's been among the most productive post players since entering the league in 2008 and is a two-time All-NBA selection (2012, 2014).
2008 – Brandon Jennings, Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.)High school: A point guard prodigy, Jennings averaged over 35 points per game as a senior for legendary head coach Steve Smith at Oak Hill Academy.
College: The California native committed and signed with Arizona, but bypassed college and chose to spend a year with Italian club Lottomatic Roma before entering the NBA Draft.
NBA: No. 10 overall pick in 2009 draft. Entering his seventh season, Jennings has posted solid career averages of 16.6 points and 6.2 assists per game. He's only 25 years old so there's still time to improve, but superstardom looks to be a long shot as he's the subject of trade rumors once again.
2009 – Derrick Favors, South AtlantaHigh school: A man among boys at South Atlanta, Favors piled up 28.1 points and 13.3 rebounds per game while leading the Hornets to a state title as a senior. Legend has it that he once blocked 19 shots in a single game.
College: Georgia Tech has reached the 20-win plateau and appeared NCAA Tournament once in the last eight years and both happened in Favors' lone season on campus. He averaged over 12 points and eight rebounds per game to lead the Yellow Jackets to a 23-13 record and second round appearance in the Big Dance during the 2009-10 season.
NBA: No. 3 overall pick in 2010 draft. Favors was traded during the middle of this rookie campaign from then-New Jersey to Utah. He experienced a breakout season with the Jazz in 2014-15, posting 16.0 points and 8.2 rebounds per outing.
2010 – Harrison Barnes, Ames (Iowa)High school: Barnes led Ames to a 53-0 record and back-to-back state championships as a junior and senior. Teaming with another future star in Doug McDermott, he averaged 26.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game en route to national POY honors in 2009-10.
College: The trio of Barnes, John Henson and Tyler Zeller helped North Carolina win a pair of ACC regular season titles. However, UNC fell in the regional final of the NCAA Tournament in both of the Black Falcon's seasons in Chapel Hill — leaving Tar Heel fans feeling a little less than satisfied with the Harrison Barnes Era.
NBA: No. 7 overall pick in 2012 draft. Barnes is a world champion three years into his NBA career with the Golden State Warriors. He was the team's fourth-leading scorer in 2014-15 and looks to have a big future.
2011 – Austin Rivers, Winter Park (Fla.)High school: Winter Park became a major attraction during Rivers' time at the school, illustrated by the fact that the Wildcats played in six nationally televised games during his junior and senior seasons. A two-time state champ, Rivers averaged 28.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in 2010-11.
College: Rivers' walk-off buzzer beater in Chapel Hill against Barnes and North Carolina will be replayed forever. His lone season at Duke ended in disappointment, however, as 15-seed Lehigh stunned the second-seeded Blue Devils in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
NBA: No. 10 overall pick in 2012 draft. The 6-4 shooting guard is still finding his way in the NBA and was traded from New Orleans to the Los Angeles Clippers — coached by his father Doc — midway through the 2014-15 season.
2012 – Kyle Anderson, St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.)High school: Part of a legendary run at St. Anthony, where the Friars went 65-0 from 2010-12 and won back-to-back national titles. He's the lowest-scoring MaxPreps POY ever, posting 14.7 points per game to go along with 6.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists.
College: Despite first- and second-place finishes in the Pac-12 Conference, respectively, Anderson's two years at UCLA were a bit tumultuous as the program transitioned from Ben Howland to Steve Alford.
NBA: No. 30 overall pick in 2014 draft. Too early to tell where Slo Mo's career is headed. He played in just 33 games as a rookie with the Spurs and spent much of the year bouncing between San Antonio and its D-League affiliate in Austin.
2013 – Jabari Parker, Simeon (Chicago)High school: A four-year starter at Simeon, Parker led the Wolverines to a 118-15 record and four state titles. Sports Illustrated famously featured Parker on its cover in May of 2012, proclaiming he was the best high school basketball player since LeBron James.
College: Like Rivers, Parker saw a good freshman campaign at Duke end in NCAA Tournament disappointment. The 6-8 wing forward averaged 19.1 points per game but couldn't lift the Blue Devils past Mercer in the round of 64.
NBA: Just 25 games into his rookie season with Milwaukee, Parker tore his ACL. A timetable for his return has not been announced and
Shawn Krest of CBSSports.com reports that the Bucks will be cautious.
2014 – Stanley Johnson, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)High school: Johnson is the most decorated player in California high school basketball history, winning four state titles at Mater Dei and helping the Monarchs go 135-7 during his time on campus.
College: The 6-6 power guard paced 34-4 Arizona in scoring at 13.8 points per game and was named Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Year.
NBA: Projected to go as high as No. 8 to Detroit Pistons by
Sam Vecenie and Zach Harper of CBSSports.com.
