Willowridge High (Texas) certainly made a strong case for being able to compete with Oak Hill Academy (Va.) for the top spot in the national boys' basketball rankings after last week's convincing victory at the prestigious Slam Dunk to the Beach national tournament. However, the Eagles don't have anyone to match up with Oak Hill 7-footer DeSegana Diop.

The three-guard backcourt of T.J. Ford (Texas), Daniel Ewing (Duke) and Kenny Taylor (Baylor) is not only the nation's best offensive trio of guards, but can also shut down the opposition.

	St. Edward's High (Ohio) forward Jawad Williams could be the next Lamar Odom or Tracy McGrady.

That was shown in the first game of the tournament, when they put the clamps on North Carolina-bound Melvin Scott of Southern High (Md.) and forced him into what he and his coach, Meredith Smith, called the "worst game of his career."

Ewing will be a great addition for Duke. Even if his shot isn't on, he plays tough defense and, although he hasn't shown much of it because of floor general Ford at his side, the 6-foot-2 Ewing can play both guard spots (a la Chris Duhon, who is a freshman at Duke this season).

Here are some other awards from the Slam Dunk to the Beach, as determined by SchoolSports.com:

MVP
Willowridge's Kenny Taylor got the official award at the tournament, but his teammate, T.J. Ford, deserved it. The Texas-bound point guard does everything for the Eagles, including sacrificing personal numbers for the good of the team. He even hauled down 11 rebounds and dished out 11 assists in one game.

Best Future Pro
There are plenty to pick from here, including Dominguez High (Calif.) 7-footer Tyson Chandler and 6-foot-9, 245-pound St. Jude High (Ala.) forward Ousmane Cisse. However, St. Edward's High (Ohio) all-everything Jawad Williams has all the tools to be the next Lamar Odom or Tracy McGrady. Williams has a weak supporting cast at St. Edward's and sees double- and triple-teams frequently, which keep his numbers down. The UNC-bound 6-foot-9 forward handles the ball and sees the floor as well as most guards and has improved his outside shooting from last year.

Best Ballhandler
Sebastian Telfair of Abraham Lincoln High (N.Y.) gets the nod here. The freshman will be able to do it all in a year or two, but for right now, the only consistency is his ability to beat the opposing defense and take care of the ball. Telfair, the cousin of Stephon Marbury and brother of former Providence star Jamel Thomas, scored 38 points but only dished out eight assists in three tournament games. Don't be surprised if the 6-foot Telfair becomes the shortest player ever to bypass college in four years.

All-Underrated
St. Patrick's High (N.J.) forward Jamie Sowers flat out dominated during the tournament and picked up the slack with his teammate, Marcus Austin, out of action because of mononucleosis. Sowers is headed to Wichita State next season and scored 45 points and grabbed 40 rebounds in the three games.

Bursting onto the Scene
Rice High (N.Y.) guard Steven Hirtt, Jr. The junior was playing on junior varsity last season but has had no problems with the adjustment to varsity and found a way to get to the basket at will during the tournament. The son of former Iona star and NBA guard Steven Hirtt, he should receive interest from plenty of big-name schools after his strong showing at the Slam Dunk to the Beach. His current list includes Marist and Fairfield.

All-Overrated
Seven-footer Craig Forth of Columbia High (N.Y.). The Syracuse-bound big man put up respectable numbers throughout the tournament, but he didn't show enough aggressiveness on the offensive end and didn't have any post moves. He was guarded by 6-foot-3 Dom Joseph of New Castle High (Md.) in the first game of the tournament and was held in check.

Best Team to Watch
Germantown Academy (Pa.), a team from the suburbs of Philadelphia, doesn't look like much with four white kids in the starting lineup. But they can run, jump, pass and shoot as well as anyone else in the nation - and they have fun doing it. Point guard Mike Slattery gets the ball down the floor in a hurry, and Matt Walsh and Lee Melchionni keep up with him. Even 6-foot-11 junior Ted Skuchas does an admirable job running the court.

Slam Dunks
Providence Catholic High (Ill.) junior forward/center Michael Thompson announced he will attend Duke upon graduation. The 6-foot-10, 250-pound Thompson made his decision on Thursday and chose the Blue Devils over Illinois, Georgetown, Stanford, North Carolina and Notre Dame. Thompson is averaging 26 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and four blocks per contest this season.

Airballs
Dominguez High (Calif.) boys' basketball coach Russell Otis, who has won four state titles, will stand trial for allegedly molesting one of his players. The 38-year-old Otis faces up to nine years in prison if convicted of the charges. His court date is Jan. 12. ...

The Mason High (Ohio) girls' basketball team is struggling after winning the state title last season. The team's star player, Michelle Munoz, injured her leg in a win over Wooster High last week, and the Tennessee-bound forward missed the title game of the Mason Holiday Classic. The Comets were also without Rachel Minnich and Ashley Wetzel in a loss to Cleveland East Tech in the finals of their own holiday tournament because they were at a soccer tournament. ...

The Jefferson Academy (Colo.) boys' basketball team is in just its first year, but it got into the state record books with a 126-29 rout of Gilpin County High last week. The 97-point margin of victory is fourth best in state history, seven points shy of Flagler High's 104-point margin over Lone Star High in 1987. ...

The Northside Memphis High (Tenn.) girls' basketball team held the ball nearly the entire game and ended up with a 6-3 victory over Lourdes High (Fla.) on Saturday night. Notre Dame-bound Allison Bustamente scored all three of Lourdes' points. Here's Memphis coach Donald Holmes' response to why his team stalled: "I refuse to let a team play me in a zone when I am playing them man-to-man. My team is much faster, and it's up to them to come out and play us man-to-man." ...

Najeeb Echols, who transferred from Whitney Young High (Ill.) to Morgan Park High (Ill.) and was ruled ineligible, tore his ACL and had surgery on Wednesday.