Best Prep Games Featuring the Nation's Top Prospects

As football comes to a close, basketball is well underway on all three levels and that means taking a look at who’s going to be the next best thing in the sport.

The following is a list of 15 games that feature top recruits heading into the college game.

Some games have already been played, some are still on the schedule but nonetheless the talent is deep.

All you can really do is thank the Lord for these holiday tournaments that showcase the top young players from all over the country.

Enjoy.

Grace Prep (TX) vs. Mater Dei (CA)

Grace Prep and Mater Dei are both top 10 squads according to Powerade’s FAB 50 Boy’s Basketball rankings.

The game was played on December 19^th and saw Grace Prep sneak away with an 86-80 win in Arlington, Texas.

Grace Prep boasts the No. 3 recruit in the country according to the ESPNU 100 in Isaiah Austin, while Mater Dei rosters two players on said list. 

Grace Prep (TX) vs. Oak Hill (VA)

Oak Hill Academy may be the most recognizable prep school in the nation having produced future NBA players Carmelo Anthony, Rajan Rondo, Brandon Jennings and a plethora of others.

I already gave you the low down on Grace Prep and their stud center recruit Isaiah Austin who’s slated to attend Baylor next season.

Oak Hill on the other hand claims five players on the ESPNU 100.

Oak Hill traveled down to Arlington, Texas and defeated Grace Prep by the score of 68-59.

Simeon (IL) vs. Miller Grove (GA)

The nation’s top-ranked team, Simeon, is slated to take on Miller Grove from Lithonia, Georgia in the Cancer Research Classic on Saturday, January 7^th.

Miller Grove was once ranked in the top five but has dropped four games to teams ranked higher than them in the Powerade FAB 50 Boy’s Basketball rankings.

They employ the nation’s 31^st-best recruit in Tony Parker who has offers from UCLA, Ohio State, Duke and Georgetown.

Simeon, on the other hand, is loaded with talent of all ages but has senior leader Steve Taylor who is committed to play for Buzz Williams at Marquette next season. 

Simeon (IL) vs. Findlay Prep (NV)

This January 16^th showdown fashions two elite programs that are both among the top five in the entire nation.

Findlay Prep is loaded with senior talent including two top 10 recruits on the ESPNU 100.

Led by power forward Brandon Ashley, who is heading to Arizona next season, the Pilots have a 15-1 record on the season.

Simeon junior Jabari Parker is widely regarded as the best player in the 2013 class. 

Findlay (NV) vs. Bishop Gorman (NV)

I briefly touched on Findlay Prep in the previous slide and I’ll probably continue to do so throughout this slideshow, and that’s because they boast four recruits in the ESPNU 100.

Bishop Gorman, also in Nevada, can say something that no other team in the nation can. That is that they possess the nation’s No. 1 recruit in 6'6" small forward Shabazz Muhammad.

The game is scheduled for January 21^st, just one game after Findlay faces off against the top team in the country, Simeon.

Grace Prep (TX) vs. Montverde (FL)

Look who’s back, Grace Prep, and Montverde from Florida is just another notch in their difficult cross-country schedule.

Montverde only has one player in ESPNU’s 100, Michael Frazier, but they also have junior point guard Kasey Hill who is 16^th overall on the 2013 list.

This game was played on December 20^th and Grace Prep won 53-45. 

La Lumiere (IN) vs. Oak Hill (VA)

La Lumiere High School isn’t flashy, nor are they nationally ranked, but they have two recruits in the ESPNU 100 and both are headed to Indiana schools as top recruits.

They played hard against Oak Hill on the road, but in the end the Warriors were too strong, defeating La Lumeire, 77-59.

It’s tough to beat a team with five recruits in the nation’s top 100. 

Oak Hill (VA) vs. Miller Grove (GA)

Oak Hill, again. I mean, when they boast so many top recruits and then play another team with other elite recruits; it’s clear that that’s where the majority of the top talent is at.

This game was close. Oak Hill held the visiting Miller Grove and finished the game 82-78.

This game was televised on ESPN, and N.C. State recruit Tyler Lewis dropped 18 points and 10 assists including multiple pretty alley-oops. 

Findlay (NV) vs. Marcus High School (TX)

When Marcus High and Findlay Prep faced off in the early, early season the game was a little bit better than the scoreboard indicated.

Marcus has the 11^th-best recruit in the nation in shooting guard Marcus Smart while Findlay has four recruits in the top 100, including No. 6 Anthony Bennett who is still undecided.

Bennett has offers from Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky and more. 

Bishop Gorman (NV) vs. DeMatha Catholic (MD)

DeMatha Catholic have risen up the national ranks all the way into the top five and their success has come behind their two top 50 recruits—Jerami Grant and James Robinson. 

As I previously mentioned, Bishop Gorman boasts the No. 1 recruit in the entire nation.

This game will be played on January 16^th, so keep an eye out for this one. 

Findlay Prep (NV) vs. La Lumiere (IN)

This was a signature game for Indiana’s La Lumiere as they defeated the then-undefeated Pilots, 67-66, on December 29^th.

Findlay has recruits heading to Arizona and Oregon and two others undecided but they have offers from San Diego State, Kentucky, Florida and Connecticut. 

Arlington County Day School (FL) vs. Southwind (TN)

Southwind is located in Tennessee and is regarded as one of the best programs in the state. They are led by the No 18 recruit in the nation, Jarnell Stokes, who will be taking his talents to Tennessee next season.

When the two teams met on December 2^nd, Arlington Country Day walked away with a 74-71 victory led by their top recruit Torian Graham.

Graham’s final list of schools include Florida State, Xavier, Louisville and Arizona among many others. 

Brewster Academy (NH) vs. Tilton School (NH)

The Tilton School from New Hampshire is 6-2 on the season and one of their two losses came against Brewster Academy.

Brewster rosters two top 25 national recruits in Mitch McGary (No. 2) and T.J. Warren (No. 23).  McGary is committed to Michigan and Warren is committed to N.C. State.

The Tilton School boasts the second-best player in the country for 2013, Nerlens Noel, according to the ESPNU Super 60.

The teams played once on December 10^th and face off again on January 15^th. 

Simeon (IL) vs. Whitney Young (IL)

The matchup between Whitney Young and Simeon is a classic city of Chicago game that always draws a lot of interest and features the best talent in the city.

Notable players to have played in this game are Derrick Rose and Marcus Jordan.

This year Simeon edged out Whitney Young, 62-55, in a game that featured two of the best players in the 2013 class—Jabari Parker of Simeon and Thomas Hamilton Jr. of Whitney Young. 

Marcus High School (TX) vs. Montrose Christian (MD)

Montrose Christian is most recognized for producing teammates Kevin Durant and Grevies Vasquez and now look to add names like Justin Anderson and Ishmail Wainright to that list, too.

Marcus and Montrose faced off on December 15^th, Marcus barely snuck away with a victory, 42-40.

As mentioned before, Marcus High holds the No. 11 recruit in the nation, Marcus Smart.