Take another look at that headline for a second.

Marcus Paige. Jarrod Uthoff. Wes Washpun. Josh Oglesby. Matt Bohannon.

If you follow high school basketball in the Metro area, you probably know where we're headed with this column.

They made the 2010-11 high school season one for the ages with perhaps the best collection of talent in Metro history. Paige and Bohannon led Linn-Mar to the Class 4A state title. Washpun and Oglesby took Washington to the state tournament. Uthoff led Jefferson to state as well, but it wasn't merely those trips to Wells Fargo Arena that made it a memorable year.

Paige, Uthoff, Washpun, Oglesby and Bohannon rank as some of the very best players in Metro history. And now, four years later, they're all playing important roles for college teams that are ranked in the Top 25 of the new AP poll.

Paige is a star guard at 15th-ranked North Carolina. Uthoff has blossomed into a key player for No. 25 Iowa and Oglesby is one of the top reserves for the Hawkeyes. Washpun and Bohannon are key ingredients at No. 20 Northern Iowa.

Think about that. All five of those former Metro stars are playing for Top 25 teams. And all of their teams are in serious contention for league titles as we move into late January.

North Carolina (14-4, 4-1) is tied for third in the ACC standings. Northern Iowa (16-2, 5-1) is tied for second in the Missouri Valley. Iowa (13-5, 4-1) is tied for second in the Big Ten, and all three schools have a legitimate shot at making the NCAA tournament.

The ninth-ranked Iowa State Cyclones (13-3, 3-1) are tied for second in the Big 12, but they don't have any former Metro players on their roster.

Paige, Uthoff, Washpun, Oglesby and Bohannon were not the only Metro stars during the 2010-11 campaign. Kasey Semler averaged 21.2 points for Marion High School that season and led the Indians to the Class 3A tournament. He's now at Northern Iowa, but he's being redshirted for the second straight season with recurring knee problems.

Uthoff averaged 26.2 points and 11.2 rebounds at Jefferson as a senior in 2010-11 and was named Mr. Basketball in the state that year. He also was named the Gatorade Player of the Year. He's averaging 11.8 points and 6.7 rebounds for the Hawkeyes this season and shooting 39 percent on 3-pointers.

Paige averaged 17.7 points for Linn-Mar as a junior in 2010-11 when the Lions won the state title. He's averaging 13.6 points and 3.8 assists at North Carolina this year and was named a Preseason All-American.

Washpun averaged 18.0 points as a senior at Washington in 2010-11. The 6-foot-1 guard is averaging 9.4 points for the Panthers, along with his stellar defense, ballhandling and passing.

Oglesby was named the Class 4A Player of the Year in 2010-11 and led the state in 3-pointers. He's struggled with his outside shooting at Iowa, but Coach Fran McCaffery has kept him in the rotation for the Hawkeyes. Oglesby played his best game as a freshman in 2012 when he torched Indiana for six 3-pointers and 24 points.

Bohannon averaged 16.2 points for Linn-Mar as a senior in 2010-11. He's been an outside threat for the Panthers during his college career, but has not consistently found his 3-point touch this year and is averaging 4.6 points. Nonetheless, UNI Coach Ben Jacobson has kept the heady player in the starting lineup on a deep and talented ballclub.

Paige. Uthoff. Washpun. Oglesby. Bohannon. Semler.

It was quite a year.

Oglesby is the only college senior in the group and is heading for the finish line. Uthoff began his career at Wisconsin and is a redshirt junior with the Hawkeyes. Washpun began his career at Tennessee and is a redshirt junior at Northern Iowa. Bohannon was redshirted as a freshman at UNI and is a fourth-year junior now. Semler spent two years at Kirkwood and is a redshirt junior at UNI.

Paige has never redshirted and is a true junior at North Carolina, but there's a chance he could turn pro after this season.

Uthoff, Washpun, Bohannon and Semler will be back next year. Maybe Paige will be, too.

That would be fun.