MOUTH OF WILSON -- Brandon Jennings takes the question and examines the possibilities.

His eyes dart left, then right as he surveys the space in the coaches' office at Oak Hill Academy. Perhaps there's an opening here, an unexamined angle over there.

Bounce a question off Jennings and see how he handles it. Bounce the 18-year-old high school kid a basketball?

Sit back and see what he can do in the blink of an eye.

Jennings, is the consensus No. 1 high school point guard in the United States. That makes the 6-foot-2, 170-pound Arizona signee from Compton, Calif., only "one of" the best point guards in the history of the nationally prominent program at the Grayson County boarding school.

The Warriors don't just have the No. 1 high school point guard this year. The school's list of recent alumni includes the starting point guard on the top-ranked college team -- North Carolina's Ty Lawson -- and the starter at the point for the team with the best record in the NBA -- Boston's Rajon Rondo.

Longtime Oak Hill coach Steve Smith says Jennings might be the best of the lot, and that includes Rod Strickland, who scored more than 14,000 points in a 17-year NBA career.

"He's right there with all of them," Smith said. "I really think a lot of Ty Lawson and Rajon Rondo. Rod Strickland played in the 'league' 17 years. It's hard to say somebody's better than him. For us, the two years he's been here he's been as good as anybody. Maybe better."

Want some evidence? Check out the videos on YouTube or brandonjennings.net. There's Jennings, looking like a left-handed version of NBA star Allen Iverson, only with better hops.

Many have come from the inner city to the mountains of Southwest Virginia to hone their skills on the court and in the classroom. The list includes high-profile NBA stars like Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Stephen Jackson and Jerry Stackhouse.

"I'd put him on the top-10 list," Smith said. "He's borderline top five. He wants to think he's the best player that's ever played here, which is fine."

Roanoke Valley fans can judge for themselves at 6 tonight when Oak Hill faces William Fleming as part of the Member One/Time Technologies Classic at Franklin County High School.

Jennings played in Rocky Mount last year when the Warriors hammered Franklin County 98-57 with a lineup that also featured Division I signees Nolan Smith (Duke), Alex Legion (Kentucky) and Julian Vaughn (Florida State).

This year's Oak Hill team has a different look. Jennings is the lone senior starter for the Warriors, who are 16-3 with back-to-back losses for the first time in decades. After averaging 15 points and 11 assists as a junior, Jennings is on pace to break Oak Hill's single-season record for scoring average with a mark of 34 points per game. Jennings' scoring role increased when star wing guards Malik Story and Willie Warren were dismissed from school.

"I wasn't looking to score 30 or 40 a game, but when those two left I knew I had to pick up the load and become a leader," Jennings said. "I can score, but I usually like to pass first. I'm playing well, but I want to win. That's a little bit disappointing."

Oak Hill teammate Yasir Price doesn't mind playing second fiddle to Jennings.

"It's great watching him play, watching what he's going to do next," Price said.

"At first I thought he was cocky, but I think being up here made him humble. He's really cool."

Jennings' season high of 49 points came on what will be his home floor next season -- Arizona's McKale Center.

"That was a good night," he said. "I felt real good playing in front of those fans."

Arizona was not Jennings' first choice.

He committed to Pac-10 rival Southern California in November of 2006 but quickly changed his mind.

"USC was too early a commitment," Jennings said. "I wanted to find some other schools and make sure that was the right choice. It wasn't, so I visited Arizona. All the great point guards came out of there -- Mike Bibby, Damon Stoudamire, Jason Terry. I'm just hoping I can be the next big one."

Jennings might not ever get to play for legendary Arizona head coach Lute Olsen, who has left his post indefinitely. Jennings said it appears current interim coach Kevin O'Neill, a former head coach at Marquette and Tennessee and the Toronto Raptors, will be in charge next year.

"Kevin O'Neill's going to be the head coach next year," Jennings said. "That's what I was told. I'm fine with that. Kevin O'Neill coached in the league a couple of years. He knows what he's doing."

Jennings, who grew up in the same town as tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, plans on his own professional career ... soon. Arizona could be among the favorites for an NCAA title in 2008-09.

"Next year, we'll have a good chance of winning it," he said. "If we get to the Final Four or the championship, then of course, I'll leave. If not, then I'll come back for a second year."

Smith has heard similar goals voiced by many of his former players.

"I won't say they all think, 'One year,' but in their mind they all want to get to the NBA," he said. "They all hope to sooner than later. He's a guy, maybe with his body, might need a couple of years."

Smith said there's no resentment on this year's Oak Hill squad about Jennings' big offensive numbers.

"He's our best shooter and there's nights where he's our only shooter making them," the Oak Hill coach said. "When you're two sophomores and you're playing alongside Brandon Jennings, it's easy to take a backseat. It would take an awfully strong-willed player to say, 'I'm as good as he is.' "

That's what Smith said happened in the fall when Warren, a likely McDonald's All-American before leaving Oak Hill, began making noise.

"He was fine in practice, but then he'd go to the dorm and say stuff like, 'I need to get 25 shots,' " Smith said. " 'I want the ball in my hands in the fourth quarter.' That was coming back to me and I was like, 'Does he not know he's on the same team with Brandon Jennings?' "

Smith said Warren never really bought into the Oak Hill experience, which emphasizes schoolwork and social skills.

"It all started when he tried to skip church," Smith said.

"He went late so he got a day of work detail. One day of work detail, not a big deal, probably an hour. He doesn't want to do it. So it went to three days of work detail. If he's not doing one, he's not doing three. So then I had to say, 'Either do it or go home.' The school's not going to bend for Willie Warren or anyone else. So the third day he didn't do it, his mama picked him up."

Jennings, who said he came to Oak Hill to improve his grades, needed a new attitude when he first arrived on the banks of the New River.

"I've matured a lot," he said. "I'm a better person. My work ethic on the court is better. I used to be lazy. They push you every day to get better and better. I love it here."