ESPN RISE

Tony Wroten Jr. and LaQuinton Ross have taken divergent paths to the top of the Class of 2011.

One's a basketball lifer who seemed to be born with a ball in his hands. The other picked up the game relatively late in life, but has used his stunning natural ability to make up ground in a hurry.

On Friday, they'll hit the court at New York's famed Rucker Park as the only sophomores at the third annual Boost Mobile Elite 24. A third star soph, Mike Gilchrist of St. Patrick's (Elizabeth, N.J.), turned down an invitation to play in the game, which features the nation's best players regardless of class or shoe affiliation. So Wroten, a guard at Garfield (Seattle) and Ross, a swingman at Word of God (Raleigh, N.C.), have the big stage to themselves as each tries to prove he is the nation's best in the Class of 2011.

For Wroten, it's been a lifelong journey.

"I started when I was like 4, playing on a small little hoop in the garage," Wroten said.

As the son of two University of Washington sports stars (track for mom Shirley, football for dad Tony), the game has been in his blood. Aunt Joyce Walker -- who still beats him in H-O-R-S-E regularly -- was a high school All-American and the third female to play for the Harlem Globetrotters. One cousin, Nate Robinson, plays for the New York Knicks, while another, Jimmie Haywood, played at Oregon State.

With that kind of pedigree, it's no surprise Wroten turned into a prodigy. Starting in fourth grade, he began playing tougher competition, often beating kids two years older than he was.

The impressive thing about Wroten is that his natural gifts haven't prevented him from developing an unmatched work ethic. He's in the gym every day, launching hundreds of jumpers and doing aerobic training.

"I want to become the best and get to the NBA," Wroten said. "And you can't get there without working hard."

The 6-foot-5, 180-pound Garfield playmaker came into his freshman season on a wave of hype and YouTube highlights. Wroten didn't disappoint, putting together a historic season for the Bulldogs.

He led his conference in scoring with 20.2 points per game, while chipping in 8.8 boards and 4.0 assists per contest to lead Garfield to the state tournament. He became the first freshman to make Star Times in the 30 years the Seattle Times had been putting together its boys' basketball All-Star teams.

As a result of those ridiculous numbers, Wroten has earned himself a spot the ESPNU 100 Watch List for the Class of 2011. (He's joined on the list by Ross and Gilchrist.)

Ross, who didn't pick up basketball until the end of sixth grade, isn't far behind. It's clear it hasn't taken him long to master the game. Last summer, Ross was the lone rising ninth-grader at the LeBron James Skills Academy, one of the nation's top summer showcases. He concluded his summer as the only freshman in the Boost Mobile Elite 24.

"I wanted to prove I belonged," Ross said. "It's just playing basketball. I don't look at it like, 'I'm younger so I can't compete.'"

These days, Ross is 6-foot-8 and a wiry 205 pounds, with a silky-smooth game reminiscent of Lamar Odom's. After a strong freshman year at Callaway (Jackson, Miss.), Ross transferred to Word of God, where he'll play with fellow Boost Mobile Elite 24 baller John Wall.

This summer, Wroten and Ross got to see each other up close at the adidas Nations in Dallas. Playing as the lone rising sophomores on the USA '10 team, they helped their squad to an upset victory over USA '09 for the championship.

Over the few days in Texas, Wroten -- who talks to Gilchrist every day -- became close with Ross as well. In addition to becoming friends, they each gained an appreciation for the other's game.

"LaQuinton is real long and can shoot it really well," Wroten said. "But he can get to the basket and dunk it on you, too, with his length."

"Tony's more of a point guard and a really good passer," Ross said. "You have to keep your hands ready at all times when playing with him."

Although their styles are perfectly complementary, the super sophs won't get a chance to work together at Rucker Park. They're on different squads for this showdown.

Having already played under the lights at Rucker, Ross isn't fazed by returning to the big stage or potentially hostile crowd that awaits him at 125th Street.

"It's really no different than the playgrounds in Jackson," Ross said. "The only difference is the cameras."

Not surprisingly, Wroten has a slightly different take.

"It's one of the greatest street-ball playgrounds in the world," he said. "I'm really looking forward to it."

Both players will be taking the same approach to Rucker Park on Friday.

"I'm just looking to have fun," Ross said.

"It's not about winning MVP or anything like that; it's about having a good time," Wroten said.

Turns out they have something else  besides incredibly bright basketball futures  in common.

Ryan Canner-O'Mealy covers high school sports for ESPN RISE.