Whatever happened to...?

It's easy to lose track of stories in the onrush of news. With the end of the year, we take a look back at some of the stories that most touched our reporters and our readers.

A new court for a hoop king

Who: Anthony Gurley

Where things stood: A year ago, he was a senior at Newton North High School and was leading the Tigers to their second straight state basketball championship.

The latest word: Gurley is now the sixth man at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, where college basketball is king. Someone has even posted videos of him on YouTube; one lasts 19 seconds and simply shows him walking up the court.

Much about Gurley's life has changed in the past few months, from the number on his jersey -- he went from 12 to 33 -- to his hair length -- it's longer . His mother, who beams when she talks about him, carries around a printout of an article that mentions her son, and she recently went down to Winston-Salem to see him play. Gurley struggled in the early part of the season, but he's averaged 10 points a game over the last four games. And on Dec. 13 he broke out and dropped 14 points in the second half against DePaul University.

MATTHEW VISER