by Alex Schwartz

The state of South Carolina is not exactly known as a hoops hotbed. The Palmetto State is by no means a slouch, producing Division I players each and every year, but it lacks the depth and elite prospects of many other states.

Nonetheless, the classes of 2012 and 2013 in the state are shaping up to be quite good and should have quite a few DI players, including several who will head to the high-major level. This was evident at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions in Raleigh, N.C., as a pair of teams from the state made some noise.

In the U17 division, the SC Hornets/Raptors Elite finished second in arguably the toughest pool in the tournament. At the U16 level, the SC Raptors displayed a deep and talented squad, winning their pool and going 3-1 on the weekend.

Two of the key players for the SC Hornets/Raptors Elite were 2012 prospects Jordan Roper of Irmo (SC) and Rakeem Hicks of Wagner-Salley (SC). For the U16 SC Raptors, class of 2013 Hillcrest (SC) teammates DJ Brooks and Dante Buford were among the standouts. All four spoke with Northstar Basketball about their recruitment.

Jordan Roper, a 6'0 point guard, is the most highly touted of the bunch. A heady lead guard with a nice feel for the game, Roper said he has scholarship offers from Clemson, VCU and Tulane. In addition, he is receiving interest from Georgia Tech, Georgia, BYU, and South Carolina.

Roper has taken visits to South Carolina and Clemson and had a visit scheduled for VCU. He currently lists Clemson and VCU as his top two schools and plans to "have a decision soon."

A 6'9 center, Rakeem Hicks is an imposing presence down low. The big man claims just one offer at this point, from Jacksonville. He is, however, hearing from VCU, College of Charleston, The Citadel, and South Carolina State.

Hicks has no favorites right now, saying, "[I am] weighing my options." He did not that he is considering transferring to Evelyn Mack Academy (NC) and also pondering the idea of reclassifying to 2013. It remains to be seen if he will be at Wagner-Salley or Mack Academy next year and also what class he will be in.

DJ Brooks, a 6'2 point guard, was the man running the show for the SC Raptors during the Bob Gibbons TOC. Although the rising junior said he has no offers to date, he has a number of schools showing interest in him. Brooks mentioned Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Tulane, North Carolina State, Wofford, Presbyterian, Elon, and Clemson as the programs involved.

Two schools, Virginia Tech and South Carolina, are standing out to Brooks at this point. He has only visited Clemson and South Carolina to date, but that will soon change.

"I'm going to Virginia Tech elite camp and NC State elite camp and USC [South Carolina] this summer," Brooks said.

An athletic small forward at 6'6, Dante Buford said that he too has no offers as of now. He did state that he is getting looks from Clemson, South Carolina, College of Charleston, and Georgia Southern at this point.

Buford said that Clemson is his top school at the moment and noted that the Tigers are "showing a lot of interest" in him.

Note- photo on the left is of Jordan Roper and is from http://6manbasketball.com/default.aspx; photo on the right is of DJ Brooks and is from http://scouthoops.scout.com/