RAYMOND — As his ballhandling skills have improved this summer, Vicksburg High School’s Kelsey Howard is looking to showcase his enhanced skills at today’s Mississippi Association of Coaches Boys All-Star basketball game at A.E. Wood Coliseum.

Howard, a rising senior forward for the Gators, will suit up for the North All-Stars when they battle the South  in the boys’ game at 2:30.

“My ballhandling has definitely gotten better over the summer,” Howard said Thursday night before the North’s practice at Hinds Community. “I’ve also worked on my defense and rebounding, but most of the work has been on my ball handling.”

Howard finished his junior season with the Gators as one of the state’s most feared shooters. He sank 13 of 15 field goals to lead Vicksburg to an upset of eventual Class 4A and overall state champion Callaway on the road at the North State 4A Tournament. He finished the season averaging 16.7 points per game and was named the Vicksburg Post’s Player of the Year, leading the Gators to a second-straight state tournament berth.

High School Sports in Mississippi.com. has been impressed enough to move Howard into its top 10 of the 2010 college recruits.

“No. 10, really,” Howard said. “That’s good to hear because that can help me get to my goal of playing college basketball. I am hoping the college coaches can see (today) that I can play. That I can play at the Division I level,” Howard said.

Former Mississippi State guard and North All-Star coach Greg Carter is already a believer.

“I like Kelsey a lot. He comes out of Coach (Dellie C.) Robinson’s program and he follows in a line of a great collection of talent that has come out of that program,” Carter said.

Two years ago, former Vicksburg High guard Jonathan Phelps started for the North in the MAC All-Star game, leading them to a 115-94 win, then went on to lead the Gators to the state tournament and earned first team All-State honors. Phelps now plays for Northwest Florida Community College.

Carter said he and co-coach Leroy Cotton of Cleveland East Side will allow players like Howard and his fellow Yellow Jacket players in Rashad Perkins and Edward Townsend to show their skills.

“We’ll see from practice who does the best in what spots. Because it’s an all-star game, we’re going to spread the floor on offense. That will allow them to drive and show what they can do,” Carter said. “I think we have a nice collection of talent. We have a good mix of guards and forwards.”

The all-star game will cap Howard’s long summer of play.

“We went to both the Ole Miss and Mississippi State camp and we played in the summer league. We got better. Dominique Brown came on at point guard and Mychal (Ammons) has had a good summer, too,” Howard said.

Ammons, already a two-time All-County pick as a rising junior, is listed in the top five potential college recruits in the 2011 class.

The game will also give Howard a chance to play for and against several of his friends from Jackson.

“I know Dundrecous Nelson and I’ve played against Andre Stringer from Forest Hill a lot. I know a lot of these other guys by their faces, I just haven’t spoken to them, yet,” Howard said.

Keeslee Stewart, who led the Hinds AHS War Dawgs to the State 2A title, will be one of 12 players to suit up for the South All-Stars along with Stringer.

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Contact Jeff Byrd at jbyrd@vicksburgpost.com