The term underrated is used very loosely nowadays but when you're going into your senior year of high school, you are 6'5" 220 lbs., you have a 39 inch vertical, and you can play  both guard positions or the small forward position equally with effectiveness on both sides of the basketball court. Not to mention, causing havoc on the same high school team as this years number one pick in the NBA Draft John Wall and NC State forward, 2010 McDonald's All-American C.J. Leslie. I would have to consider the term of being underrated if you're classified by ESPN as only the 69th best player in the Class of 2011. For Dezmine Wells, that's just motivation to improve and show everyone that he's an elite player in this years upcoming senior class. I first saw Wells as a sophomore in high school playing alongside Wall and Leslie but didn't notice to potential of the Xavier commit until the 2009 Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions. My personal memory was when he, along with Bullock, dominated the NC State guard Ryan Harrow and Tennessee forward Jordan McRae led Atlanta Celtics' 17U squad in the National semifinals of the tournament in which the CP3 All Stars won in a blowout. Wells took the challenge of defending McRae and held him check, only allowing the all-tournament selection to score 14 points. Dezmine scored 20+ points that game along with 5+ rebounds and 5+ assists and scored 14 points against the eventually tournament champs Team Final (PA) who were led by Syracuse guard Dion Waiters, and also Kentucky bound forward  Michael Gilchrist. These performances opened plenty of eyes, including us here at CourtCred.com.

After the Bob Gibbons T.O.C., I also had a chance to check out "Hulk" at the AAU Super Showcase in Orlando, FL last Summer.  With a second look at his versatility, athleticism, and committment to defense, I came to the conclusion that he was a young player to watch.

This past season at Word of God (NC), a lot of people were more focused on the All-American Leslie instead of Wells but I had an opportunity to attend plenty of Holy Rams' games and there isn't one game that I could honestly say he didn't show up! He scored 20+ against plenty of elite players such as the #4 ranked, Class of 2011 forward Quincy Miller and Auburn forward Luke Cothron. Wells was the catalyst behind many of their victories and finished the season averaging 14 points per game, 8 rebounds per game, and 4 assists per game, mind you, these are averages coming from a player who was on a team with two other stars whom only averaged 75 points per game. Impressive if I must say so myself! "Hulk" was a terror this Spring and so far this summer on the AAU circuit, dominating at this years Bob Gibbons T.O.C.

Wells proceeded to win MVP at Top 100 camp and played well at the LeBron James Skills Academy. "I had a great experience at camp. Being around other good players always seems to bring out the best in me. So I held my own and did my thing out there," Wells told CourtCred referring to LeBron James Skills Academy.

If you are looking to see Wells during this years high school season, his services will be used at Hargrave Military Academy (VA) along with his AAU teammates, UNC bound shooting guard P.J. Hairston and Virginia Tech bound point guard Marquis Rankin. This Summer, he told me he's adding the 3-pointer to his arsenal which will make him more unstoppable than what he already is. One day, we will see Dezmine Wells in the NBA putting up numbers and positively contributing to a team in their quest to prominence!