Video: Klay Thompson high school highlightsSoCal sharpshooter led Santa Margarita to state title as a senior.Ranking the members of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors, who begin their third straight battle for the NBA championship Thursday, is not too difficult. After all, there are seven All-Stars between the two teams, including three current and former league MVPs — Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and LeBron James.
But ranking the members of these two teams as high school players produces a much different result. While the No. 1 player — LeBron James — is likely the same at the NBA and high school level, the rest of the lineup has a few surprises.
Using criteria such as All-State selections, All-American selections (USA Today, Parade Magazine, McDonald's), national MVP honors (USA Today, Parade, McDonald's Morgan Wootten, Naismith), MaxPreps has come up with a ranking of all 28 members of the Cavaliers and Warriors based on their high school careers. Golden State's Zaza Pachulia and Cleveland's Edy Tavares were not included since they did not play high school basketball in the United States.
Ranking the Cavaliers, Warriors as high school players
28. Javale McGee, Hales Franciscan (Chicago), Class of 2006
McGee played at three different high schools during his high school career and received special mention All-State by the Chicago Tribune his senior season.
27. Patrick McCaw, Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.), 2014
McCaw led his school to the National Christian School Athletic Association Division I championship and earned second team All-Area honors by the Capital Gazette.
26. Ian Clark, Germantown (Tenn.), 2009
Clark earned All-Metro honors from the Memphis Commercial Appeal three years in a row.
25. Kay Felder, Pershing (Detroit), 2013
Felder landed a spot on the All-State team as a senior.
24. David West, Garner Magnet (N.C.)/Hargrave Military (Chatham, Va.), 1999
West spent a year at Hargrave Military Academy following his graduation from Garner Magnet and received All-State honors.
23. Dahntay Jones, Steinert (Hamilton, N.J.), 1998
Jones made the All-State team as a senior.
22. Matt Barnes, Del Campo (Fair Oaks, Calif.), 1998
The Sacramento Bee's Metro Player of the Year, Barnes also earned all-state honors from Cal-Hi Sports.
21. Derrick Williams, La Mirada (Calif.), 2009
The Los Angeles Daily News named Williams its All-Area Player of the Year and he also made the Cal-Hi Sports All-State team.
20. Kyle Korver, Pella (Iowa), 1999
A native of Southern California, Korver moved to Iowa in his early teens and went on to make the Class 3A All-State team two years in a row.
19. Deron Williams, The Colony (Texas), 2002
Williams led The Colony deep into the playoffs two years in a row and earned first team All-State by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches both seasons.
18. Stephen Curry, Charlotte Christian (Charlotte, N.C.), 2006
Curry helped Charlotte Christian reach the finals of the NCISAA playoffs as a senior and twice earned All-State honors.
17. James Jones, American (Hialeah, Fla.), 1999Jones was named the Class 6A state Player of the Year in Florida as a senior in 1999.
16. Klay Thompson, Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.), 2008Thompson led Santa Margarita to a Division III state championship as a senior and was named the state Player of the Year by Cal-Hi Sports.
15. Andre Iguodola, Lanphier (Springfield, Ill.), 2002The Mr. Basketball runner-up in Illinois in 2002, he led his team to a runner-up state finish. Igoudola was a Parade Second Team All-American.
14. Damian Jones, Scotlandville (Baton Rouge, La.), 2013Led team to two straight Class 5A state titles in Louisiana and was the Class 5A state Player of the Year as a senior.
13. Tristan Thompson, Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), 2010A McDonald's All-American as a senior and a second team Parade All-American, Thompson might have reaped more high school awards had he not had a falling out with St. Benedict's Prep (N.J.) coach Danny Hurley and quit the team as a junior.
Tristan Thompson of Findlay Prep
File photo by Jim Redman
Green made the Detroit Free Press Dream Team two years in a row and was Player of the Year as a senior after leading Saginaw to back-to-back state titles. Also named Parade Magazine Fourth Team All-American.
11. Iman Shumpert, Oak Park-River Forest (Oak Park, Ill.), 2008A Parade third team All-American, Shumpert twice earned All-State honors and was named to the McDonald's All-American game.
10. Channing Frye, St. Mary's (Phoenix), 2001After leading his team to a state championship, Frye earned state Player of the Year honors by the Arizona Republic and Gatorade. He also made the Parade All-American fourth team.
9. Kevon Looney, Hamilton (Milwaukee, Wis.), 2014Selected as Mr. Basketball in Wisconsin, Looney also won the Gatorade state Player of the Year honor and was a second team Parade All-American.
8. Richard Jefferson, Moon Valley (Phoenix), 1998Jefferson helped lead Moon Valley to a state championship and was named the Gatorade state Player of the Year. He also made the McDonald's All-American Game and was a fourth team All-American pick by Parade Magazine.
7. J.R. Smith, St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.), 2004The Gatorade state Player of the Year, Smith played in the McDonald's All-American Game and was named the game's MVP. He also made the Parade All-American second team.
6. Kyrie Irving, Patrick School (Hillside, N.J.), 2010Irving led Montclair Kingdom Academy to a state title as a sophomore and did the same for Patrick School the following year. The Gatorade state Player of the Year as a senior, Irving made the USA Today All-American first team, the Parade Magazine All-American first team and was a McDonald's All-American.
5. Kevin Durant, Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.), 2006Durant played at three different schools in his four years, landing at Montrose Christian for his senior season. He was the Washington Post All-Met Player of the Year as a senior and earned second team All-American honors from Parade Magazine as a junior and first-team honors as a senior. He also landed on the USA Today All-American first team and played in the McDonald's All-American Game, where he was the game's MVP.
4. Shaun Livingston, Peoria (Ill.), 2004Knee injuries greatly slowed down Livingston's pro career, but he was outstanding as a prep. He led Peoria to a pair of state titles and was twice named a Parade All-American — fourth team as a junior and first team as a senior. He also made the USA Today All-American first team, was named Mr. Basketball in Illinois and landed a spot in the McDonald's All-American Game.
3. James McAdoo, Norfolk Christian (Norfolk, Va.), 2011While he doesn't see much court time for the Warriors, McAdoo was a celebrated prep star at Norfolk Christian. He was the Gatorade state Player of the Year twice and made first team USA Today All-American. Fourth team Parade All-American as a junior, he made third team as a senior. He was also the MVP of the McDonald's All-American Game.
2. Kevin Love, Lake Oswego (Ore.), 2007Love won nearly every award imaginable his senior year as he was the Parade Magazine All-American Player of the Year, the Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year, the Naismith Prep Player of the Year, the USA Today National Player of the Year and the Gatorade National Player of the Year. He led his team to three state title appearances, winning the title as a junior.
1. LeBron James, St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio), 2003Take every award Kevin Love won as a senior and multiply it by two and that's James' prep career. He won three state titles. He was a two-time Gatorade National Player of the Year, a two-time USA Today National Player of the Year, a three-time USA Today first team All-American and a two-time Parade All-American (second team as a sophomore). As a senior, he won the Naismith award, the Morgan Wootten award and the Parade Magazine Player of the Year award. He also earned MVP honors at the McDonald's All-American game.
