The Gateway Basketball Club 16U boys team recently advanced to the Final Four of the Eddie Ford Kentucky Hoopfest in Louisville.

Congratulations to Team Rameybasketball's 10U boys basketball team on winning the Amateur Athletic Union 10U boys national championship last week in Detroit.

The St. Louis Eagles 15U White team recently finished in 13th place at the Amateur Athletic Union Division I national tournament in Little Rock, Ark. The Eagles also won the championship of the David Lee/Larry Hughes Slam Jam Tournament at Saint Louis University.

Congratulations to the S.W. Illinois Jets (Orange) team on winning the Amateur Athletic Union boys 15U Division II national championship in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The Team Rameybasketball 17U boys team has some of the top players in the St. Louis area in the Class of 2011. They have played well in various tournaments around the country during the month of July.

Former Chaminade College Prep star David Lee is headed to the Golden State Warriors as part of a sign-and-trade agreement with the New York Knicks. It is reported that Lee will receive a six-year contract worth $80 million.

Local boys basketball team Baylor/St. Louis Fusion Elite recently won the 17U championship of the David Lee and Larry Hughes Slam Jam Tournament at Saint Louis University. The Fusion Elite are a 16U team made up of high school sophomores, but they moved up a grade level to play in the 17U division and came away with the first-place trophy.

There have been many great high school basketball teams to grace the courts of St. Louis. In this entry, I have narrowed it down to what is my Dream Final Four of St. Louis basketball. Imagine a special Final Four featuring the 1969 Sumner Bulldogs (pictured), the 1978 DeSmet Spartans, the 1987 East St. Louis Lincoln Tigers and the 1988 Vashon Wolverines. In my opinion, these four teams stand out from the rest. Who would win these epic showdowns and emerge as the best team in the history of St. Louis prep hoops? Here's a quick breakdown of these four great teams.

It is now time to present to you the inaugural Earlaustinjr.com All-Area Colleges team, which features the top players from the area’s NCAA Division II, Division III and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) programs. As a graduate and former player at Lindenwood University, there will always be a special place in my heart for those athletes who excel at these area colleges. They may not get the recognition and accolades that big-school counterparts receive, but they are just as dedicated to the game.

The Hoop Squad, a St. Louis-based eighth-grade boys team, won the championship at last weekend’s Rameybasketball.com Midwest Shootout in the 14-and-under division. The Hoop Squad defeated Team St. Louis for the championship on April 24 at Lewis & Clark Community College in Godfrey, Ill.