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Philadelphia School Questioned
"Preparatory schools in general are to get kids intensive tutoring and support in an environment that is conducive to doing well academically, and in some cases take advantage of the additional resources that they have athletically to improve themselves," said Peter Roby, the director of Northwestern University's Center for the Study of Sport in Society, not speaking specifically about Lutheran Christian. "I don't think there is anything in the prep schools [model] that is an issue."
The money at stake in a young basketball player's career has made the schools attractive to players whose academic shortcomings would otherwise detour their athletic careers and knock them out of the development chain. That could be the difference between that player going on to college, being drafted in the NBA and earning a multimillion dollar contract, and falling out of the talent pipeline.
  Darryl Schofield, right, is the coach of the basketball team at the Lutheran Christian Academy prep school in Philadelphia. (By Mark L. Baer For The Washington Post) About This Series
During the year, The Washington Post will examine youth basketball in the United States. The lure of multimillion dollar contracts and the growth of college basketball have raised the stakes for young players, their parents, coaches and backers. Along the way, the nature of the game has been altered for thousands of kids.
THE PLAYER CHASEDecember 31: After a six-month investigation, The Washington Post has found that it is now common for college programs to make tax-deductible donations, usually through a booster, to AAU programs in an effort to land recruits.
July 14: Kene Obi still waits for clearance to play his first high school basketball game.
 July 6: Renardo Sidney has developed into a blue-chip recruit despite never having played in a high school basketball game.
 July 4: Being one of the country's best 10-year-old basketball players used to be worth a shelf-full of plastic trophies. Not anymore. Just ask Justin Jenifer.
Photos: Banking on a Prodigy
Video: Justin's Got Game
March 26: Jericho Christian Academy seeks a higher profile by using the lure of basketball, but it is a path that often comes at a price.
March 12: Stoneridge Preparatory School demonstrates how entire prep basketball squads are increasingly transferring together.
 March 5: The NCAA Clearinghouse certifies player's transcripts and grades without doing background checks on the validity of those documents.
THE PLAYER CHASE: THE EUROPEAN MODEL
To better understand the demise of U.S. basketball, reporter Michael Lee went to three countries whose teams have beaten the Americans to examine their player development system.
Dec. 18: Youth players who compete for Serbian club teams face unique economic and social pressures.
 Dec. 17: The European system for developing world-class basketball players can be a model for the U.S.
Graphic: Three basketball powers.
LIVE ONLINEThe Post's Eli Saslow was online to discuss Nigerian basketball players. Read the transcript.
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A player can repair his qualifications at a prep school in two ways: The NCAA admits student-athletes on a combination of grade-point average and college entrance exam score. The higher a player raises his GPA, the lower test score he needs and vice-versa. A player with a 2.5 GPA needs an 820 SAT score, for instance.
Nearly 100 college scouts attended the first two days of the National Prep School Invitational tournament this weekend at Keaney Gymnasium on the University of Rhode Island campus. Teams from 13 states and Canada competed, and the recruiters each paid $200 for a tournament program that consisted of little more than photocopied rosters.
Lutheran Christian, with 18 players from five states, the District and Canada, clearly was one of the most talented teams in the tournament. Theo Davis, a 6-foot-9 forward from Toronto, is being recruited by Gonzaga, Michigan and Texas-El Paso, according to Schofield. Michael Scott, a point guard from Philadelphia, has been offered scholarships by Rice, Columbia, George Washington and Jacksonville. Lawrence Williams, an imposing 6-8 forward from Brooklyn, N.Y., already has decided he will attend Texas El-Paso on a scholarship, Schofield said.
Among the Lutheran Christian products currently in college, George Washington guard Maureece Rice, one of the No. 8 Colonials' top reserve players, spent one year at the school after he failed to graduate from a public school in Philadelphia and abruptly left a more established preparatory school in North Carolina.
"I never saw him in a game, just saw him in a couple of workouts. My thing about him was, I kept asking myself, 'Why isn't everybody killing to get this kid?' " George Washington Coach Karl Hobbs said. "I thought something was wrong. I thought I was missing something, like he was a crazy kid. I trust his [high school] coach and his coach told me, 'Give this kid a chance and I promise you'll be happy.' I don't know much about the school. I'm just happy we gave him the opportunity."
Rice could not be reached for comment.
Georgetown freshman Marc Egerson played last year at Lutheran Christian after failing to graduate from Glasgow High School in Newark, Del.
Georgetown spokesman Bill Shapland said the school would not comment for this report.
In addition to Georgetown and George Washington, Lutheran Christian has sent players to Mississippi State, Massachusetts and Temple, among others, even though the school doesn't even have a gymnasium.
The community center belongs to Helping Energize and Rebuild Ourselves Inc., a nonprofit. The only sign of the school inside is a framed picture of the basketball team hanging on a wall. The single-story building has bars on its windows and graffiti markings etched over its red-painted exterior, but it's still the cornerstone of its neighborhood.
