D.C.-area basketball fans get excited when standout local high school basketball players do great things. These extraordinary athletes have all inspired the next generation of talent and left an indelible mark on the game. Kristi Toliver and Kevin Durant exemplify the very best of this fraternity of athletes. Their phenomenal stardom earned them careers on the highest professional basketball stage.
Durant, a Montrose Christian School alumnus, averaged 23.6 points and 10.2 rebounds his senior year in 2005-06. His brilliance glimmered, equally brilliant. The Seattle SuperSonics knew it and drafted him second overall in the 2007 NBA draft. The rest as they say… is history. Durant won two NBA championships with the Golden State Warriors and won the NBA MVP award in 2014.
Kristi Toliver, another once-in-a-generation talent from the D.C. area, scorched her high school competition. She finished with a remarkable career total of 2,527 points. She shot 38.9% from deep, and during her senior year, she averaged 28.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.2 assists a contest. Toliver proved her extreme talents on the hardwood, helping to carry her Maryland squad to a championship victory in the 2006 national championship. She hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer—a game-tying three-pointer—that sent that game against heavyweights Duke into overtime.
Rising Stars from D.C. Area High Schools
The D.C. area has nurtured a rich tradition of basketball talent that goes far beyond this year’s MVPs. As a teenager, Josh Jennings was a force to be reckoned with on the hardwoods at DeMatha Catholic High School’s gymnasium. He averaged a staggering 35.5 points, to go with 7.5 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals per game. His high school success landed him as the No. 7 recruit in the ESPN 100 for 2006.
Jennings continued his basketball journey when he was selected tenth overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2009 NBA draft. His tremendous high school numbers and eventual first overall draft choice status speak to his impact and potential on the court.
Born in the D.C. area, Luka Garza first made waves at Maret School. He continued to make a name for himself while at Iowa. Garza averaged 24.6 points and 11.7 rebounds during his senior year in 2016-17 and earned accolades as the National Player of the Year and Big Ten Player of the Year twice. He departed college as Iowa’s all-time leading scorer, racking up an impressive 2,306 points. Last year, in 2021, he was selected 52nd overall by the Detroit Pistons.
The Impact of Women’s Basketball
The accomplishments of women athletes in the D.C. area is just as remarkable. Angel Reese is good for business, shining as one of women’s basketball’s undisputed top talents. She has skillfully steered Saint Frances Academy to three straight IAAM titles. After winning two Player of the Year awards and dominating the bigs for two seasons at the University of Maryland, Reese decided to transfer to LSU. There, she helped bring the Tigers a national championship as a junior.
Reese’s talent was widely recognized. She finished her final high school season ranked second in the ESPNW 100 for 2019-20. This arc explains how D.C.-area players have consistently left their stamp on the prep and NCAA ranks.
Crystal Currie is a legend in these parts. Then in 2005 she won ACC Player of the Year honors by averaging 17.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. It was her amazing skill that first had talent scouts clamoring. Consequently, she was drafted third overall by the Chicago Sky in the 2009 WNBA draft.
The D.C.-area just keeps churning out outstanding basketball talent and of course, outstanding young men, both on the court and off. These athletes’ monumental efforts deserve to be highlighted and celebrated, as they inspire future generations of hopefuls, while accelerating the sport’s overall progression.
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