Talk about having a lot to live up to. The 2003 season is still weeks away from starting, yet Samantha Mahoney has already been dubbed the best high school player in Michigan.

The 5-9 guard from West Bloomfield High School averaged 21 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists as a junior, and was named an all-state Dream Team selection. That led Detroit Free Press columnist Mick McCabe to rank her first in his preseason list of the Top 100 players in the state.

McCabe wrote of Mahoney: "As a freshman, she was difficult to guard in the post. Each season, she has expanded her perimeter game and it now includes three-point range."

It's no surprise, then, that Mahoney has also caught the eye of high school hoops gurus around the country. "We have her ranked No. 38," Bob McCormick of the All-Star Girls Report told Rivals.com. "Physically, she's ready. She has a scorer mentality and she can play at the one or two guard."

She also made quite an impression during this summer's Nike Camp in Indianapolis, according to the OldGoldFreePress.com: "Mahoney soon demonstrated why she might be garnering the attention. Samantha has a beautiful shot, the best form in the camp. She's a tall guard who plays within herself, she can penetrate and dish as well as hit the outside shot. Samantha is also a very good rebounder for her size, and moved well without the ball."

Rounding out a busy summer, Mahoney was invited to participate in the USA Women's Youth Development Festival in Colorado Springs. She played on the North squad.

For the first three years of her high school career, Samantha's head coach at West Bloomfield was her mother, Pam Mahoney. Last month, however, Pam Mahoney accepted an assistant coaching position at Oakland University in Michigan. "I think this is a good opportunity for my mom," Samantha said in the Detroit Free Press. "She gets to move up from high school to the college level."

However, it's unlikely that Samantha will follow her mother to Oakland U., as it's widely accepted she's looking to play in a high-profile program. Mahoney said she was considering Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Pittsburgh, and Michigan, although that could change in the upcoming weeks.

There's no doubt the Michigan Head Coach Cheryl Burnett would love to keep such a highly recruited player in state. "For a long time, coaches from around the country were walking into Michigan's own backyard and taking the best players," said Bob McCormick. "I don't know if that'll be the case anymore with Coach Burnett."

We'll find out in November, when it's time to sign Letters of Intent.

Article written by Gball Associate Editor Jim Catalano.

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