Playing at the Next Level

Devon Jefferson



OJ Mayo and Taj Gibson are the players garnering all of the attention at USC, but there's one other player with tremendous upside worth watching closely, in Freshman Davon Jefferson.

At 6’9 Jefferson is a freak athlete with the length, quickness and speed to dominate the opposition. He plays with an explosive style, always attacking the rim and trying to dunk on anyone in sight. Jefferson is still very raw and needs to work on his mid range jumper, but with some schooling from the USC coaching staff, Davon Jefferson has the potential to be a name that you hear for many years to come.


Gerald Henderson and Russell Westbrook




It’s pretty clear thus far this season, who was working on their games over the summer. Two players that have made tremendous strides and will soon begin to receive the recognition they deserve are Gerald Henderson (Duke) and Russell Westbrook (UCLA).

Both players are among the most athletically gifted in college basketball and are major reasons why their teams are having early season success.

Henderson still needs to expand his range and improve his handle, while Westbrook’s biggest challenge will be transitioning to a true point guard, rather than just a scorer. With that being said, both players should be early 1st round selections in the 2009 NBA Draft.

The Future

If you don’t know everyone on this cover, you will very soon.


Featured on the new issue of Punks (Slam) magazine are the four best high school guards in the nation. From the left: Brandon Jennings, Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans and Lance Stephenson.

All four participated in this summer’s Elite 24 and none of them disappointed. Jennings and Holiday will continue their battles next season, with both of them heading to the Pac-10 at Arizona and UCLA respectively. Evans hasn’t declared his college intentions, but he has narrowed his choices down to Louisville, Texas, Memphis, Seton Hall and UConn. Stephenson still has another two years left of high school ball and hasn’t given any real indications of where he will be playing in college. The one thing that we do know about Lance’s recruitment process is that it is being handled by his father; Lance Stephenson Sr. The approach is rather unconventional, yet equally effective: If they are interested, they will call you…
(Via Slam)

For more in-depth coverage on:
Lance Stephenson
Tyreke Evans
Brandon Jennings