SI's Top 100 Prep Players Class of '06, Willie Kemp #40, Pierre Niles #47

Class of '06
Ranking the top 100 hoops recruits headed to school

By Ben Sylvan, Special to SI.com, SchoolSports.com
For the first time in three years, picking the No. 1 senior basketball player in the country was an easy call. Not since LeBron James in 2003 has the decision been this much of a no-brainer. For the Class of 2006, there's Lawrence North (Indianapolis) 7-foot center Greg Oden and then there's everyone else.

Greg Oden is simply dominant -- dominant on offense, dominant on defense and dominant on the boards. No other prep baller has such a complete impact on every part of the game. That's not a knock on guys like Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) forward Kevin Durant, Episcopal Academy (Merion, Pa.) guard Wayne Ellington, Brentwood (Tenn.) Academy forward Brandan Wright or Mitchell (Memphis, Tenn.) swingman Thaddeus Young, all of whom might normally be in serious contention for the top spot. But Oden is just so good that there's no debate.

#40
Willie Kemp
Bolivar Central (Bolivar, Tenn.)
PG
6-3
175
Memphis


#47
Pierre Niles
Ridgeway (Memphis, Tenn.)
PF
6-7
250
Memphis