Isaiah Austin and Other Prep Stars We Can't Wait to See

Shabazz Muhammad and Nerlens Noel have become the high school versions of Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III.

They've been so hyped up that there's barely anything left we don't know about them. They've been raved about so much that it's hard to remember there are still 20 other guys playing in the Jordan Brand Classic on April 14. 

Now that we know where the two headliners are taking their talents in 2012, as Noel so eloquently put it during his announcement on Wednesday, we can focus on some of the other stars of tomorrow who will be taking the court in the JBC on Saturday. Muhammad and Noel aside, there is still plenty of talent to pique the interest of college basketball fans nationwide.

Here's a look at some of the prospects who will doubtlessly put on a show this year in Charlotte. 

Isaiah Austin, C, Baylor

The Lady Bears have Brittney Griner. The men's team will soon have Isaiah Austin.

The seven-footer from Burleson, Texas, is a big man who handles the ball like someone a lot smaller, as evidenced by his shooting accuracy from three-point range. He's the second-ranked center entering the NCAA and will be playing for the West Team in Saturday's game.

Austin also excels on defense because of his long arms, which allow him to be particularly effective as a shot-blocker. Although he needs to improve his ball-handling and his strength, he is already ahead of the game with his ability to be dominant on both ends of the floor with his athleticism and defense.

Austin is certain to help the Bears improve upon a 27-7 season and will be a dominant force in the Big 12 next year.

Alex Poythress, SF, Kentucky

Though he'll be playing against Nerlens Noel in Saturday's game, Poythress will be playing with him next season in Lexington, Ky., and will be a key component in rebuilding a team that is losing Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Marquis Teague.

Poythress, a native of Clarksville, Tenn., has terrific size and length at 6'7" and is a great athlete who can run the floor and attack the hoop. He was named the Gatorade Tennessee Player of the Year and Class AAA Mr. Basketball in the midst of his senior campaign at Northeast High School, where he averaged 31.1 points, 11.5 rebounds and 4.3 blocks per game.

After Poythress put up an explosive 46 points in a 72-58 win in December, his high school coach, Al Cooper, told The Tennessean's Chip Cirillo: 

"

That's the type of kid that when you ask something of him he would do it.He probably could have done that every night if the game warranted it or we wanted to do that. But how many times can a coach ask a player to go get 40 and they go get it? 

"

That is certainly news to the ears of John Calipari. If Poythress lives up to the hype, he, Noel and the rest of the 2012 recruiting class should have no problem leading the Wildcats to a deep run in next year's NCAA tournament.

Kyle Anderson, F, UCLA

Anderson will be joining Shabazz Muhammad in Southern California next year, where they will try to restore a Bruins program that had some well-documented chemistry problems in 2011-12.

Anderson is a 6'7" phenom who primarily plays point guard but has the ability to play all five positions—and if he does suit up in the backcourt, he presents huge matchup problems for the opposition. Anderson has been heralded for his court vision and his decision-making and is both an explosive scorer and a terrific passer.

The Fairview, N.J., native is a strong defensive rebounder who has gone an unheralded 93-1 in high school and led St. Anthony to a second consecutive Tournament of Champions title in 2011-12 after racking up 65 straight wins.

Though he wasn't perfect in high school, he was pretty much as close to it as one can get. At UCLA, he and Muhammad will lead the Bruins to a rebound year and help them contend for a Pac-12 title.