Jonathan Wall was greeted by dozens of players when he walked off the Cary Academy gymnasium floor Saturday during the Carolina Challenge, a showcase for the best high school basketball players in North Carolina.

Wall, a 6-foot-4, 170-pound junior point guard at Raleigh Word of God, bumped more fists and shook more hands than most politicians and he already has won the consensus vote as the best player in the state.

He showed why he is mentioned as one of the best players in the country with his play in the showcase, an event that he entered because of his love of the game.

"It's fun to play basketball," Wall said. "I wanted to come play against the best players in the state and have some fun."

Wall took to heart organizer Dave Telep's urging for players to be team oriented.

Telep talked about his disappointment in the play during the recent McDonald's All American Game.

"Exceptionally talented players, but a terrible game," Telep told the 80 invited players. "Respect your teammates. Pass the ball."

So Wall passed the ball and kept his game under wraps until his club, named for NBA standout Josh Howard, fell behind the David West team that was led by Duke recruit Mason Plumlee of Asheville Christ School.

"Then coach [Middle Creek's David Kushner] told me to play like I did for my high school team and try to win the game," Wall said.

He couldn't bring his team back from 15 points down in the final six minutes, but he had the gym buzzing and players on the sidelines jumping up and down.

Wall drove through five defenders to dunk. He powered through a pair for a dunk. He bounced off a defender and flipped the ball in over his shoulder. He hit a couple of long 3-pointers.

Such play and explosive speed have made him one of the most heralded players in the country.

The list of colleges that are interested in him includes practically all the Division I schools, but right now he is most interested in Florida State, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma State and, of course, N.C. State.

Wall loves his hometown school, but he is concerned about some of the things he has heard, specifically that Wolfpack coach Sidney Lowe's job security may be tied to signing him.

"It is almost like some people are trying to force me to go there," Wall said. "Can you imagine? A coach like Coach Lowe having his job depend on signing some kid.

"I don't want him to lose his job, but don't put that pressure on me."

Lowe already has a commitment from Wall's sophomore Word of God teammate, C.J. Leslie.

Leslie, who said his commitment to State is "pretty solid," was exceptional in the showcase, passing, rebounding and scoring.

Plumlee, a 6-11 junior, showed why Duke recruited him.

He has range on his jump shot, handles the ball well enough to fend off a Wall steal attempt in the open court, goes hard to the basket and passes well.

The Word of God contingent, which also included 6-3 freshman Dezmine Wells, and the Christ School group of Plumlee, 6-9 freshman Marshall Plumlee, 6-2 junior Reggie King and 6-5 junior Lakeem Jackson, are indicative of how much talent there is in the state's private schools.

Of the 80 invited players, 23 were from private schools, including Ravenscroft, which was represented by 6-11 junior Matt Wilson, 6-10 junior Arou Kok and 6-9 junior Ryan Kelly [who is considering Virginia, North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Stanford, N.C. State and Davidson].

A private school lineup of Wall, Leslie, Mason Plumlee, Kelly and Washington Terra Ceia 6-5 sophomore Mychal Parker would be formidable on the national level.

Kelly said the talent and competition at the showcase was too good to miss.

"I'm not going to play in a lot of tournaments this summer. I plan to do a lot of individual work," he said.

"But playing against people like this really helps you to improve."