USA TODAY Looks at Great High School Basketball Players

Apr 29, 2026, 11:43

Introduction

USA TODAY Sports is writing reports about the best high school basketball players and coaches in America. They are doing this for the 250th birthday of the United States.

Main Body

In Florida, they found great people. Fred Ross won many state titles. Floyd Andrews won a title in 1968. This was important because his team was the first mixed-race team to win in Florida. Scottie Barnes and Otis Thorpe also played here before they joined the NBA. In Rhode Island, they found other great people. Joe Mazzulla is a coach for the Boston Celtics now. Other players like DiGregorio and Kolek played in high school and then went to the NBA. These reports show a pattern. Many people start in high school sports. Then, they become famous coaches or players in the NBA.

Conclusion

Now, the project focuses on the best basketball people from Florida and Rhode Island.

Learning

🕒 The 'Past to Present' Jump

Look at how the story moves from the past to now. This is the secret to talking about your own life at an A2 level.

The Pattern: Past Action $\rightarrow$ Current Status

Examples from the text:

Played in high school $\rightarrow$ joined the NBA
Played in high school $\rightarrow$ is a coach now

How to use it: Use -ed for the old action and is/am/are for the now.

I studied English $\rightarrow$ I am a student now.
He lived in Florida $\rightarrow$ He lives in Rhode Island now.

Quick Vocabulary Tip: Words like before and now are your anchors. They tell the listener if you are talking about history or the present moment.