Now that Louis Williams and Mike Mercer have handed their South Gwinnett High School jerseys in, the focus at the Snellville, Ga. school has shifted to the class of 2006. And all eyes are no focusing on Avery Jukes, a 6-foot-8, 210-pound forward. The class of 2006 prospect is ready for the challenge of taking over the reigns from the two five-star studs.

Like Williams and Mercer, the two University of Georgia signees, Jukes is a Division I prospect. And a good one at that. Jukes, the No. 119 ranked player in the country by Rivals.com, never worried about getting his time in the spotlight.

The Comets traveled the country, making stops at the prestigious City of Palms tournament in Florida. They played, and beat, Oak Hill Academy. The team was on ESPN when they hosted Arlington Country Day out of Florida. They were shown on television regionally several times. The media spotlight was always there.

"At the beginning of the year, there was a lot of exposure in the newspaper and on television," Juke says. "But it wasn't for me. It was for Louis and Mike. I got that. I didn't have to worry about it."

That exposure, though, helped Jukes show off his potential. He picked the right games to show of his perimeter game. Against Oak Hill, Jukes, the team's most effective post player, stepped out and knocked down a couple of threes and showed off his midrange game. On ESPN, he did it again.

Last week at a preseason event with his AAU team, the Georgia Stars, Jukes was in the three point contest. He nearly won it. Expanding his game has been one of the key parts of his game to work on this year.

"I'm working with a trainer on my ball-handling and my shot is already there so I just need to shoot it when I get open," Jukes said. "In practice, I've been hitting it. I'm looking forward to this summer where I can shoot it more.

"I'm a post player because I'm big but I don't feel that comfortable in there. I'd rather play on the wing. If I want to play on the wing, I have to work on my handles and my shooting even more."

Still wide open in the recruiting process, Jukes has heard from a couple of new schools in the recruiting process. Purdue has called. So has Butler and Colorado, schools that have offered. DePaul is getting into the mix, he said. Georgia Tech, however, does sit at the top of the student athlete's list.

Already receiving an 1140 on the SAT, Jukes said he will use all five official visits. When, however, has not been determined yet.