He was actually a lot better highschool baller than I thought he was...It also boggles my mine that super-star T-Mac,Kobe,KG and Jermain Oneal were not the #1 pick, not even in the top 4! Does anyone knows who were the #1 pick for those years respectively? http://t-mac.com/bio.php Tracy's hoops tale began in his Junior Year at Auburndale High. He averaged 23.1 pts and 12.2 rebounds a game with the Bloodhounds his junior year. But despite the great numbers, Tracy's name did not appear on any recruiting lists of Division 1 prospects. Only schools that showed little interest in him were Florida and Miami. After his junior year at Auburndale High School in Florida, he was invited to play in the ABCD Camp. Tracy was still looking for a way to put himself on the basketball map, he had to let the whole basketball world know who Tracy McGrady was. This was his chance at the annual Adidas ABCD camp in Teaneck, New Jersey. During the senior all-star game, he dribbled down the left wing on a fast break and found only James Felton, a 6'9 Blue Chipper from NJ committed to St Johns, between him and the basket. Tracy went up, cupped the ball in his right hand and executed a windmill dunk over James. He sent the whole gym in frenzy. He was quoted as saying- "After I made that Dunk, I had chills run through my body, It’s like the moment I knew I had finally arrived". The recruiting newsletter Hoop Scoop praised Tracy as "the sleeper of the decade". After not being included in the top 500 prospects list before the summer, Tracy was ranked #2 behind Lamar Odom, a forward from Redemption Christian Academy. Tracy was then named the USA Today Player of the year. He was even featured in a 3-page article in the February 10 1997 issue of Sports Illustrated. His senior season he transferred to play one year at Mount Zion Christian Academy in North Carolina. Tracy's one year stint at Mount Zion Christian academy was a successful one. He led the Mighty Warriors to a 20-1 record, earning the spot as #2 in the nation in USA TODAY'S Super 25. As a senior, he averaged 27.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 2.8 steals per game while shooting .564 from field, .389 from three-point range and .791 from free throw line. He was named the USA Today Player of the Year and the Player of the Year in the state of North Carolina by The Associated Press and also was named to the McDonald's All-American Team. In Magic's Round ball Classic, he shot 6-for-7 from the field, sinking his only three-point attempt, and netted 13 points. As Tracy was set to commit to Kentucky and Rick Pitino, Hopkins got a call from NBA Super scout Marty Blake asking for a schedule. NBA Teams wanted to go out to Mount Zion and watch Tracy play. Tracy McGrady had indeed decided to pursue his dream early. McGrady, a 6-foot-8, 200-pound basketball standout who played all five positions at Durham's Mount Zion Christian Academy, announced his decision to make himself available for the June 25 NBA draft. "I feel this is the best decision for me and my family," said McGrady, who lived with his mother, Melanise, and grandmother, Roberta, in Auburndale, Fla., before moving in with Mount Zion coach Joel Hopkins and 11 teammates. "I considered college, but my dream is to make it to the top, and I had a chance to do that earlier," said McGrady. On draft day, with question marks concerning when and if Tracy would get drafted, the Toronto Raptors were on the clock and ready to make their pick at #9. David Stern announced it, and indeed, Isiah Thomas and the Raptors had taken Tracy McGrady with the 9th pick. He joined the list of high school players making the jump to the NBA successfully. In 1995, the Minnesota Timberwolves picked Kevin Garnett at No. 5. In 1996, Kobe Bryant was chosen at No. 13 by the Charlotte Hornets and traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Portland Trail Blazers took Jermaine O’Neal at No. 17. You can catch the rest of his life's story and such at the above link.
http://www.nba.com/history/draft_top13.html Year No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5 2003 LeBron James Darko Milicic Carmelo Anthony Chris Bosh Dwyane Wade 2002 Yao Ming Jay Williams Mike Dunleavy Drew Gooden Nikoloz Tskitishvili 2001 Kwame Brown Tyson Chandler Pau Gasol Eddy Curry Jason Richardson 2000 Kenyon Martin Stromile Swift Darius Miles Marcus Fizer Mike Miller 1999 Elton Brand Steve Francis Baron Davis Lamar Odom Jonathan Bender 1998 Michael Olowokandi Mike Bibby Raef LaFrentz Antawn Jamison Vince Carter 1997 Tim Duncan Keith Van Horn Chauncey Billups Antonio Daniels Tony Battie 1996 Allen Iverson Marcus Camby Shareef Abdur-Rahim Stephon Marbury Ray Allen 1995 Joe Smith Antonio McDyess Jerry Stackhouse Rasheed Wallace Kevin Garnett 1994 Glenn Robinson Jason Kidd Grant Hill Donyell Marshall Juwan Howard 1993 Chris Webber Shawn Bradley Anfernee Hardaway Jamal Mashburn Isaiah Rider 1992 Shaquille O'Neal Alonzo Mourning Christian Laettner Jim Jackson LaPhonso Ellis 1991 Larry Johnson Kenny Anderson Billy Owens Dikembe Mutombo Steve Smith 1990 Derrick Coleman Gary Payton Chris Jackson Dennis Scott Kendall Gill 1989 Pervis Ellison Danny Ferry Sean Elliott Glen Rice J.R. Reid 1988 Danny Manning Rik Smits Charles Smith Chris Morris Mitch Richmond 1987 David Robinson Armon Gilliam Dennis Hopson Reggie Williams Scottie Pippen 1986 Brad Daugherty Len Bias Chris Washburn Chuck Person Kenny Walker 1985 Patrick Ewing Wayman Tisdale Benoit Benjamin Xavier McDaniel Jon Koncak 1984 Hakeem Olajuwon Sam Bowie Michael Jordan Sam Perkins Charles Barkley 1983 Ralph Sampson Steve Stipanovich Rodney McCray Byron Scott Sidney Green 1982 James Worthy Terry Cummings Dominique Wilkins Bill Garnett LaSalle Thompson 1981 Mark Aguirre Isiah Thomas Buck Williams Al Wood Danny Vranes 1980 Joe Barry Carroll Darrell Griffith Kevin McHale Kelvin Ransey James Ray
1993 Chris Webber Shawn Bradley Anfernee Hardaway Jamal Mashburn Isaiah Rider Shawn Bradley ahead of Hardaway for the 2nd pick? Haha ...thanks for the list by the way.
Kandi and LaFrentz ahead of Vince Carter, Antoine Jamison, Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Peirce! Ha Ha. Hind sight really is 20/20.
Indeed, this article is interesting. Indeed, it is informative. Indeed, I am glad to have read it. Indeed.
