LeBron James makes big news but we should be more interested in his Skills Academy

LeBron James made national news with his announcement last night that he will take his talents, as he puts it, from Cleveland to South Beach, Miami. But, those of us in North Carolina should perhaps be more interested in the LeBron James Skills Academy which was held this week in Akron, Ohio.

2011 UNC basketball recruit PJ Hairston, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Greensboro, missed the first two days with an ankle injury but he came back the third day to show flashes of his scoring abilities. He is transferring before his senior season from Greensboro Dudley to Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia.

Hairston, who wrongly guessed that James would go to the Knicks, said it had been a media circus at the camp with everyone following James' every move. “I don’t really have an explanation for it,” he said. “It’s just crazy, what’s going on over a human being.”

The only rising sophomore to attend the camp was Rodney Purvis, a 6-3 shooting guard from Upper Room Christian Academy in Raleigh. Purvis, who grew up a Carolina fan, is already being compared to John Wall. He has been offered a scholarship from Wake Forest and Virginia Tech. Others pursuing him are UNC, Duke, N.C. State, Kentucky, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Xavier.

Many of the top players are in Europe competing for Team USA in the FIBA Under-18 national tournament. Still, the state of North Carolina (with eight) had the most players in attendance at the camp.

It's reported that one of the North Carolina players - Dominique Pointer, a 6-5 guard from Winston-Salem - drilled a three with LeBron James covering him. With retaliation in mind, James called for the ball and blew by Pointer for slam dunk. During five-on-fives, a team that included James and former UNC player Jawad Williams of the Cavaliers lost to a group of high schoolers.