Over the weekend at the NIKE Boys Elite Skills Academy in Beaverton, Oregon, 18 of the nation's finest high school basketball players participated in specific testing drills designed for basketball and came away with an overall SPARQ Basketball Rating. After the results were compiled, highly touted senior-to-be Brandan Wright recorded the highest overall SPARQ Basketball Rating* with an impressive 85.46. Coming in right behind him was junior-to-be Derrick Rose with a 84.10 SPARQ Rating.

At 6-foot-9, Wright was quite impressive in the testing, as his 2.86 20 meter dash time was the fourth best among the 18 participants and the fastest time among the big men in attendance. Wright also tested in the top five in the one-step vertical jump with a 36.8. He also averaged 6.54 seconds in the compass drill, threw a three-kilogram power ball 55 feet and recorded a mark of 60 in the 30-second endurance jump test.

Although his individual marks were surpassed by others, his overall performance at his height gave him the highest rating since the SPARQ Basketball Rating* is the only one SPARQ (an acronym for Speed, Power, Agility, Reaction and Quickness) has unveiled that incorporates an athlete's height as a variable in the calculation. Last season, Wright was one of only three underclassmen named to the EA SPORTS All American Boys Basketball team and is currently ranked the No. 6 prospect in the country by RivalsHoops.com.

"There were other players at their respective positions in attendance that are considered the best in the country but did not score as well. Considering his size, it was kind of surprising that Brandan was the best," remarked Boys Elite Skills Academy Director Kevin Eastman.

Brandan Wright, shown ready to compete in the Power Ball Throw, recorded the highest overall SPARQ Basketball Rating among 18 players.

Coming in right behind Wright with an overall SPARQ Basketball Rating of 84.10 was Derrick Rose. He measured in at 6-foot-1 and finished in the top five in four of the five testing categories, with his score of 56 in the 30 second endurance jump test being the only one that didn't. The Simeon High of Chicago product recorded the fastest 20-meter dash with an electronically timed 2.65, recorded the longest power ball throw with a toss of 69 feet and also had the highest one-step vertical jump at 38.6. His 6.19 average in the Compass Drill was also impressive.

Simeon High is known for producing top-notch forwards such as Juwan Howard, Deon Thomas, and the late Ben Wilson, but it looks like the Wolverines will have one of the top guards in the country in their backcourt for the next two seasons.

The testing session lasted one hour and the participants were later debriefed on what their individual rating meant. Like most young players, the 18 elite players who participated wanted to know how they measured up against their peers.

"Kids at that level are always interested in how they rate and I think that is actually the biggest reason as to why they enjoyed the testing," Eastman remarked.

Performance training is becoming more important everyday in every sport, even a complex skill sport like basketball. Improving speed, power, agility reaction and quickness is quite beneficial to basketball players in addition to improving their overall skill level. Its been reported that prep All-American Monta Ellis was not able to bench press 185 pounds even once at this year's pre-draft combine. One can only imagine how much improvement to his overall game would occur if he was aware of or participated in elite basketball training.

"I don't think these kids know much about elite basketball training other than they feel SPARQ Training can make them stronger and quicker. Kids at this elite level are results oriented but their non-basketball specific training slacks," Eastman said.


TOP TESTING MARKS

Note: these results are official; All players were measured with tennis shoes off and are seniors-to-be unless otherwise listed.

Top SPARQ Basketball Rating
1) Brandan Wright (Brentwood Academy, Nashville) 6-9, 192--85.46
(2.86 20m, 6.54 compass drill, 55 power ball, 60 endurance jump, 36.8 VJ)
2) Derrick Rose (Simeon, Chicago) 6-1, 188 Jr.--84.10
(2.65 20m, 6.19 compass drill, 69 power ball, 56 endurance jump, 38.6 VJ)
3) Keith Clark (Putnam City, Oklahoma City) 6-7, 235--83.05
(3.11 20m, 6.24 compass drill, 63 power ball, 59 endurance jump, 31.2 VJ)
4) Vernon Macklin (Norcom, Portsmouth, Va.) 6-8, 216--82.42
(3.07 20m, 6.21 compass drill, 59 power ball, 60 endurance jump, 30.6 VJ)
5) Spencer Hawes (Seattle Prep) 6-10, 214--81.83
(3.16 20m, 6.41 compass drill, 63 power ball, 58 endurance jump, 30.6 VJ)

Top 20-Meter Dashes**
1) Derrick Rose (Simeon, Chicago) 6-1, 188 Jr.--2.65
2) Isaiah Dahlman (Braham, Minn.) 6-6, 174--2.83
3) Sherron Collins (Crane, Chicago) 5-10, 198--2.84
4) Brandan Wright (Brentwood Academy, Nashville) 6-9, 192--2.86
5) Jerryd Bayless (St. Mary's, Phoenix) 6-2, 176 Jr.--2.88

Top Power Ball Throws***
1) Derrick Rose (Simeon, Chicago) 6-1, 188 Jr.--69
2) Kevin Love (Lake Oswego, Ore.) 6-9, 263 Jr.--67
T3) Keith Clark (Putnam City, Oklahoma City) 6-7, 235--63
T3) Sherron Collins (Crane, Chicago) 5-10, 198--63
T3) Spencer Hawes (Seattle Prep) 6-10, 214--63
T3) Ramar Smith (Martin Luther King, Detroit) 6-1, 192--63

Top One-Step Vertical Jumps
1) Derrick Rose (Simeon, Chicago) 6-1, 188 Jr.--38.6
2) Jerryd Bayless (St. Mary's, Phoenix) 6-2, 176 Jr.--38.2
3) Brandan Wright (Brentwood Academy, Nashville) 6-9, 192--36.8
4) Ramar Smith (Martin Luther King, Detroit) 6-1, 192--34.5
5) Sherron Collins (Crane, Chicago) 5-10, 198--33.0

Top Compass Drill Averages****
1) Jerryd Bayless (St. Mary's, Phoenix) 6-2, 176 Jr.--6.06
2) Isaiah Dahlman (Braham, Minn.) 6-6, 174--6.07
3) Derrick Rose (Simeon, Chicago) 6-1, 188 Jr.--6.19
4) Vernon Macklin (Norcom, Portsmouth, Va.) 6-8, 216--6.21
5) Keith Clark (Putnam City, Oklahoma City) 6-7, 235--6.24

Top 30 Second Endurance Jump Marks
1) Isaiah Dahlman (Braham, Minn.) 6-6, 174--64
2) Obi Muonelo (Santa Fe, Oklahoma City) 6-4, 220--64
3) Sherron Collins (Crane, Chicago) 5-10, 198--61
4) Kyle Singler (South Medford, Ore.) 6-7, 209--61
5) Edgar Sosa (Rice, New York) 6-0, 169--61



*The goal of the SPARQ Basketball Rating is to give coaches, trainers and athletes the tools to assess the overall athleticism of a basketball player with tests that are designed to reflect the specific physical demands of the game. The SPARQ Rating is not designed or intended as a measure of basketball skills or an athlete's potential success on the court. SPARQ realizes that the intangibles of desire, hard work, teamwork and knowledge of the game all contribute to ultimate success in a complex skill sport like basketball. To learn more about the SPARQ Basketball Rating and compare SPARQ Ratings with teammates, training partners and competitors, go to www.sparqtraining.com.

**(Recorded using electronic SPARQ Timing.)
***(Recorded in feet using 3 kilogram ball.)
****(Average time of both clockwise and counterclockwise test in seconds.)