Despite rising unemployment and skyrocketing credit card debt for many Americans, the "American dream" is still alive and well. While the faith in possible upward mobility among those in this country may occasionally waver, the prospect of being richly rewarded for hard work continues to strike a powerful chord with hopeful emigrants, particularly those who harbor dreams of a future in professional sports.

Unfortunately, a handful of foreign prospects and some from closer to home were served a sordid slice of American pie by a South Charleston, W.Va., academy which purported to be a landing pad of top basketball talent. Many officials are now claiming that the West Virginia Prep Academy, which was scheduled to open on Tuesday after permits had been filed by former college basketball player Daniel Hicks, who is pictured at right, was nothing more than a fraudulent enterprise aimed at generating quick cash for Hicks himself.