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** ESPN THE Magazine's NEXT 2007: and the Winner Is... Dwight Howard **

NEW YORK -- NEXT 2007:

DWIGHT HOWARD MUSCLES IN. The Magazine asked which of five athletes - Calvin Johnson, Dwight Howard, Evgeni Malkin, Jose Reyes or Juan Pablo Montoya - is most ready to make the leap to superstar status. And the fans answered with 227,834 votes on ESPN.com. Dwight Howard is NEXT. The Orlando big man with the big grin and the even bigger game is the fan's choice.

ON DECK. Meet the athletes who are hot on the heels of the 2007 NEXT finalists:

* Queen of the Greens. Kimberly Kim, 15-year-old golf sensation from Hawaii, is the youngest champ in history of the U.S. Women's Amateur

* Big Finisher. Josmer Altidore, 16-year-old MLS player dubbed to be America's next scoring weapon

* Husky Highlight Reel. Maya Moore, 6'1" high school senior who can dunk and is considered the best prep in the country

* Grom Phenoms. Riley Metcalf, Andrew Doheny, Luke Davis, Nat Young, Kolohe Andino (all between the ages of 13-15), five of the top surfers on the junior circuit are making waves before they are old enough to drive

* Triple Threat. Darren McFadden, Arkansas sophomore has it all, speed, an arm and great hands - no wonder he is one of the most versatile players in college football

* Homegrown Hero. Alex Gordon, 23-year-old second pick of the 2005 MLB draft - plays like George Brett and should be in the Royals Opening Day line-up

FACE TIME. Fans have seen their game faces, so The Magazine handed camera's to the 2007 Class of NEXT to show fans a different side.

Plus: Check out the NEXT Taj Mahal of football, killer stat, coaching spyware, smart turf and more of what's NEXT.

OTHER FEATURES:

REAL WORLD: MIAMI. Does having a veteran QB or drawing first blood really matter? The Magazine's Super Bowl preview kicks sand in the experts' faces by asking the hard questions, including: Bears or Colts?

POINT NOT TAKEN. Three years into his NBA career, everybody's waiting for Shaun Livingston to justify the hype - including Shaun Livingston. "I can be The Man," he says. So what is he waiting for? The Magazine's Ric Bucher reports.

KEEP YOUR ENEMIES CLOSER. They're about the same size, the play the same position, they went to the same high school and they share the same goofy sense of humor. Now Duke's Gerald Henderson and UNC's Wayne Ellington are wearing different shades of blue. The Magazine's Chris Palmer reports.

THE MAN WHO CAN'T STOP SKATING. After 1,161 NHL games and three Stanley Cups, 39-year-old veteran Mike Keane will do anything to keep playing hockey. That includes signing on with the Manitoba Moose. The Magazine's Lindsay Berra reports.

IN THE CROSSHAIRS: DUKE LACROSSE. Last year's rape scandal put lacrosse in the public spotlight for all the wrong reasons. But with the most serious charges dropped, and Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann welcomed back to campus this year, the team now faces a whole new set of challenges. The season opens in just a few weeks and The Magazine will take a look at all the pressures that lay heavy on the Duke program. The Magazine's Dan Galvin reports.

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