Game Over

THEN: Averaged 30 points per game as an eighth-grader, when he famously attracted the notice of Bob Knight .

SINCE THEN: Was All-Big Ten as a senior at Indiana University . Selected by the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the 1994 NBA draft, but surgery on both knees prevented him from playing a minute in the pros. Now co-owner of the Hawkin Bailey Warehouse, an industrial parts supply company in Bedford , Ind. Co-wrote a book last year, Damon: Beyond the Glory.

Age 31
BARNABAS JAMES

THEN: Averaged 31 points and 18 rebounds per game as a 6'4" seventh-grader in Los Angeles .

SINCE THEN: Signed a letter of intent in '90 to play at the University of New Orleans for future NBA coach Tim Floyd , but never suited up. Played for three schools (El Camino Junior College, Delgado J.C. and Division II Cal Poly-Pomona) in four years, with marginal success. James, a born-again Christian, is now a general contractor for a construction company in L.A. , where he lives with his wife, Norma.

Age 30
BRIAN CROW

THEN: "Great prospect if he sticks with hoops," SI wrote of the Orem , Utah , middle schooler. "Could be an Olympic decathlete."

SINCE THEN: Dropped hoops by his junior year of high school to concentrate on football, track and the decathlon. Graduated from Brigham Young in 1999 and earned his MBA there in 2001. Served a two-year Mormon mission in Croatia and Serbia . Now a father of three living in Chandler, Ariz. , where he's a marketing coordinator for a chemical management company.

Age 28
MICHAEL IRVIN

THEN: Chicago playground legend averaged 18 points and 10 assists per game as a fifth-grader. "Great moves, great smile," SI wrote.