Hoop Scoop's Top 450 10th Graders (Ohio Players)

Below is a list of the 22 Ohio players that made Hoop Scoop's list of the top 450 sophomores in the country.

#25 Elijah Macon 6'8 PF Columbus

#89 Jalen Robinson 6'7 PF Columbus (Pictured)

#102 Kenny Kaminski 6'7 WF Medina

#112 Kyle Molock 6'2 PG Dublin

#136 Dylan Kaufman 6'4 WF Berlin

#166 Adolphus Washington 6'5 PF Cincinnati

#186 Deontae Hawkins 6'6 WF Dayton

#199 Lorenzo Cugini 6'7 WF Akron

#218 Malik London 6'8 C Chillicothe

#237 Jermaine Davis 6'8 C Garfield Heights

#261 Myles Hamilton 6'1 WG Lakewood

#272 KeChaun Lewis 6'4 WG Columbus

#290 Willie Moore 5'11 PG Cincinnati

#308 Seger Bonifant 6'5 WF Strasburg

#325 Devin Carter 6'2 WG Cleveland

#343 Treyvon Crater 6'3 PG Akron

#362 Jalen Lowe 6'3 WG Cincinnati

#379 C.J. Getty 6'9 C Findlay

#397 Devon Scott 6'7 PF Columbus

#411 Eric Truog 6'8 C Chagrin Falls

#432 Tyler White 6'0 PG Lima

#443 Cameron Wilson 6'1 PG Dublin

All-Ohio Slam-N-Jam Hoops Preview Recap

By most accounts, the Jerry Watson's All-Ohio Slam-N-Jam Preview was a success. This year's event was held at Pickerington Central High School and featured 12 games starting at 2:00pm and ending about 12:00am the next morning. As evidence of the competitiveness of the event, 2 games (Westerville Central vs Cincinnati Woodward and ASVSM vs Wilmington) finished in ties, and 2 other games (Brookhaven vs Trotwood Madison and Eastmoor vs Bowling Green) were decided by only 2 points.

Some of the standout performers I saw included Jared Sullinger who played like a man possessed in a grudge match between Columbus Northland and Cincinnati Aiken. In that game, which was very physical and contentious, "Big Sully" went for a game-high 13 points including 5 mean-spirited blocks. When he was not blocking shots, Sullinger had guys altering shots trying to prevent more crowd hyping blocks. While Sullinger patrolled the post, Trey Burke held it down the perimeter and contributed 9 points. Aiken's Aaron Thomas played a great game and kept his team in the game with several timely 3-pointers. Thomas finished with a team-high 10 points. Thomas' play help solidify his case as the top wing in the state.

I was really impressed with Miami of Ohio bound Quinten Rollins who led all scorers with 12 points. Rollins is a super smooth point guard who is quick and aggressive to the hoop. Just when you think his game is only about slashing to the cup, he hits you with a 3 ball or drops off a dime for an easy bucket. This kid is nice. Akron's Ricky Johnson also had a good night and paced his team with 10 points.

Although Cincinnati Taft is known more for it's 3 talented sophomores (Adolphus Washington, Dwayne Stafford and Orlando Barry Jr.), the Mitchell boys (Kevin and Cameron) led the way for Taft with 9 and 8 points, respectively. With that said, Washington had a big night and made a couple of "next level" plays. Washington is already being compared with one of the top undersized big men in Ohio history in Jamel Cornley.

Other standout performers included Bowling Green signee Craig Sealy from Boorkhaven who led his team with 9 points. Add Dayton commit Ralph Hill from Westerville North who finished the game with 8 points. I also liked Westerville Central's Max Van Meter who led his team with 12 points. In the same game, Cincinnati Woodward's Mervin Taylor had a big game and led all scorers with 19 points. I can't forget about Columbus Walnut Ridge's Austin Traylor who exploded with 13 points and Reynoldsburg's Brandon Ruston who finished with a team-high 8 points. Jeremey Qualls also played well with a 7 point effort.

Final results:

Dayton Stivers defeated Independence 32-24. Leading scorers: Regis Motley (12), Brett Strange (9) and Brandon Tyler (9).

Liberty Benton defeated Dayton Jefferson 33-32. Leading scorers: Jordan Benson (15), Aaron Craft (13) and Adreian Payne (13).

Harvest Prep defeated Cincinnati Winton Woods 40-30. Leading scorers: Gerron Tate (11), Shakur Dunning (10), Tyrus (7) and Harris (7).

Columbus Eastmoor defeated Bowling Green 33-31. Leading scorers: Matt Ryan (13), Doug Thorpe (10), Chauncy Orr (10), Max Meattie (8) and Xavier Brown (6).

Columbus Walnut Ridge defeated Reynoldsburg 32-23. Leading scorers: Austin Traylor (13), Brandon Rushton (8), Jeremy Qualls (7) and Jaleel Washington (5) and Kevin Gray (3).

Westerville Central and Cincinnati Woodward tied at 29. Leading scorers: Mervin Taylor (19), Max Van Meter (12), Quinten Henderson (6), Jourdan Devoll (6) and Aaron Cephas (6).

Pickerington Central defeated Toledo Libbey 30-20. Leading scorers: Anthony McGrath (10), Dominigue Royals (8), M. Birdsong (7) and B. Underwood (6)

Cincinnati Taft defeated Westerville North 35-29. Leading scorers: Kevin Mitchell (9), Cameron Mitchell (8), Adolphus Washington (8), Kenny DeBoer (8) and Ralph Hill (8).

Dublin Coffman defeated Toledo Start 35-25. Leading scorers: Anthony Henderson (11), Christian Heine (10) and Michael Green (10).

Brookhaven defeated Trotwood Madison. Leading scorers: Craig Sealy (9) and Tibbs (13).

Akron St. Vincent St. Marys and Wilmington tied at 28. Leading scorers: Quinton Rollins (12 ), Ricky Johnson (10).

Northland defeated Cincinnati Aiken 35-30. Leading scorers: Jared Sullinger (13) Aaron Thomas (10) and Trey Burke (9).

http://www.hoopsreport.com

Thanksgiving Showcase Scrimmage Recap

Although high school basketball does not officially tip off until next week, prep hoops could be found in abundance in Central Ohio. Head Coach Mike Bates of Africentric High School, hosted a 9-team scrimmage at Reynoldsburg High School this morning. For the 4th straight year, coach Bates bought together quality teams from around the state for his scrimmage. The teams who participated in this year's event included: Columbus Northland, Huber Heights Wayne, Cincinnati Taft (Pictured), Canton Timpkin, Toledo Libby, Mansfield, Columbus Walnut Ridge and Africentric. As was the case a week ago, Columbus Northland was the top team in gym. After handling Reynoldsburg (34-27) in the 1st game of the day, Northland dismantled Mansfield 34-17 before dominating Huber Heights Wayne 31-19 for the 2nd time in as many weeks. In the re-match, Jared Sullinger led Northland with 9 points while Travis Trice paced Wayne with 7 points. Markus Crider was held scoreless while JD Weatherspoon contributed 6 points and Trey Burke kicked in 2 points. Other players of note included Reynoldsburg's Kevin Gray who was fantastic in the team's loss to Northland. Gray almost single handily kept Reyonoldsburg in the game. Timpkin's Jehvon Clarke led his team to a 17-16 point victory over Reynoldsburg. Cincinnati Taft and it's collection of young talent had a good day as well. In the one game I watched, Taft defeated Reynoldsburg by a score of 22-17. Because I had to leave early, I missed the Northland vs Taft game. From what I heard, the game got a little chippy late, causing the Northland players to walk off the court with about 3 minutes left in the game. Northland was up about 12-13 points when they walked off. Taft finished 4-1 on the day. Each team played five 20-minute halves. Northland finished 5-0.

Gahanna Lincoln's Big Three Poised for Special Season

Gahanna Lincoln High School has enjoyed a great deal of success over the last couple of years, however, after knocking on the door of a District Championship 4 years ago the program has never claimed a district title. Last season the Lions were a few points short of reaching a District Championship game where they would have faced off against Columbus Northland, the eventual state champions. This could be the Lion's year if Gahanna's "Big Three" has anything to say about it. Gahanna's backcourt boasts of three Division I guards in 5'9 PG Stevie Taylor, 6'2 WG Rob Brandonburg, and 6'0 WG Anthony Jackson. By most accounts, the trio represents one of the top backcourts in the state. Brandonburg has already committed to VCU, while Taylor has several offers including Providence, Ohio University, Akron, and George Mason and Jackson has serious interest from the likes of Eastern Michigan, Wright State and Stony Brook. According to most experts, Gahanna is ranked among the top 10 teams in the state, and has a chance to reach a regional championship game for the first time in school history. Last season, Gahanna tied a school record for most wins in a season with an 18-5 effort. Although the team lost a key player in Ian Taylor, the transfer of Anthony Jackson, a POY, All-State and 1st Team All-District performer from Westland High School, more than fills the void left by Taylor. Gahanna is favored to win the OCC Ohio Division, but must get by a Kevin Gray-led Reynoldsburg team to claim the school's first district championship. Potential district match-ups include: Dublin Coffman, Westerville North and South and Upper Arlington. Also, look for a couple of City League teams to make some noise such as Boorkhaven and Marion Franklin.

Northland Dominates Multi-Team Scrimmage

On the eve of the 2009/2010 high school basketball season, Columbus Northland appears to have picked up where they left off last season, and are poised to repeat as state champions. From what this writer observed at the USA Sports Academy in Columbus this morning, it's Northland, and then there is everybody else. Although Travis Trice's Huber Heights Wayne squad (Pictured) looked good, and are more than deserving of their top 5 state ranking, it was clear they were the 2nd best team in the gym today. To be fair to Wayne, they were without the services of Indiana transfer, Xavier Jones, who sat out the scrimmage due to an injury. Both teams were undefeated on the day, heading in their much anticipated match up. In this game, as expected, Jared Sullinger, arguably the top player in the nation, took control of the game and willed his team to a 7-15 victory. In that game, "Big Sulley" was the man for Northland. For Wayne, point guard Travis Trice Jr. logged in an impressive performance and was his team's leading scorer. Trice hit a couple of treys and scored on a fast break layup. Some of the other standout players at the event included: Jared Sullinger, Markus Crider, Nick Kellogg, Travis Trice, Trey Burke, Max Van Meter and Jeremy Qualls. Of the roughly 15 teams that participated in Rodney Taylor's pre-season scrimmage, the top 5 teams were: Columbus Northland, Huber Heights Wayne, Toledo Starte, Columbus DeSales and Westerville Central. The full list of teams included: Columbus Northland, Huber Heights Wayne, Columbus DeSales, Westerville Central, Toledo Starte, Bishop Hartley, Columbus East, Columbus Eastmoor, Dublin Scioto, Columbus Independence, Cleveland St. Joes, Columbus Walnut Ridge, Columbus Briggs, Lexington. I also saw several college coaches in the house checking out the action.

Hoopin For Hope Charity Basketball Event

For many of us, we know firsthand how prevalent cancer can be, because we have family and friends who have been stricken with the deadly disease. Mary Jenkins and the Hoopin For Hope organization is doing it's part to help lessen the financial burden cancer causes to individuals and families by sponsoring an OHSAA-sponsored Foundation Game where the proceeds will be donated to cancer victims. The Pickerington Central vs Beechcroft game is scheduled for 7:00 pm Saturday, November 28th at Beechcroft High School located at 6100 Beechcroft Rd. Admission is $10.00. You can receive a $5.00 discount on your ticket if you bring 5 canned goods for the Mid-Ohio Food Bank. As a community, lets all try and support this very worthy event!!

Hoop Scoop's Top 600 11th Graders (Ohio Players)

Below is a list of Ohio players who made Hoop Scoop's list of 600 top juniors in the nation. In total, 33 Buckeyes made the cut.

#43 Jakarr Sampson 6'8 WF Akron

#64 James "Zac" Price 6'10 C Lakewood

#88 Stevie Taylor 5'9 PG Gahanna

#98 Anton Grady 6'8 PF Cleveland

#105 Marcus Crider 6'5 WF Huber Heights

#118 Trey Burke 6'0 PG Columbus

#136 Aaron White 7'7 WF Strongsville

#152 Aaron Thomas 6'5 WF Cincinnati

#174 Traevon Jackson 6'3 WG Westerville

#194 Trey Lewis 5'11 PG Garfield Heights

#220 Travis Trice 5'11 PG Huber Heights

#238 Paul Hogniford 6'8 PF Sugarcreek

#261 Ricky Johnson 5'8 PG Akron

#280 Kirby Wright 6'7 PF Middletown

#303 Nate Anderson C Ashville

#317 Maurice Taylor 6'4 WF Toledo

#334 Shonn Miller 6'3 WG Cleveland

#354 Jehvon Clarke 6'0 WG Canton

#371 DeVonte Beard 6'1 PG Akron

#386 Eddie "Cheatum" Norrils 5"11 PG Toledo

#405 Nyles Evans 5'9 PG Toledo

#421 Brandon Neel 6'5 WF Cincinnati

#438 Darius Carter 6'6 WF Akron

#457 Jared Bryant 6'7 C Cincinnati

#483 Will Weeks 6'4 WF Garfield Heights

#496 Dallas Harper 6'9 C Massillon

#511 Delbert Love 5'10 PG Lakewood

#533 Chester McFadden 6'3 WG Holland

#551 Blake Justice 6'1 PG Pebles

#563 Charlie Byers 5'9 PG Cincinnati

#577 Damon Powell 5'9 PG Toledo

#594 Robert Davis 6'2 WG Toledo

Kevin Gray Signs National Letter of Intent

Early this morning at Reynoldsburg High School, Kevin Gray and his family realized a dream; a dream of playing Division I college basketball. Although many college coaches were slow to recognize Gray's talent, the staff at Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky, caught the vision and offered Gray a full scholarship several weeks ago. Kevin had also received interest from Ball State, Appalachian State and few D-II schools. Gray's talent has been well documented since his days with the Columbus Jaguars. As early as the 4th grade, Gray was dominating the competition at the national level. During his Jaguars years, Gray led his team to back-to-back final four appearances, including 6th and 12th place finishes at the AAU Nationals. Back then, because of his size, strength and will to win, Kevin was a post player, and was forced to guard the other team's biggest and strongest player. Because of his stellar play at the 7th grade AAU Nationals, where he put in the kind of performance that legends are made of, the Hoop Scoop ranked Gray as the # 1 7th grader in the country. Prior to his 8th grade season, Kevin joined All-Ohio and began to remake his game and make the transition from the post to the perimeter. With All-Ohio, Kevin continued to enjoy success, and played a major role in multiple AAU National championships. At this point in his career, its safe to say that Kevin has made the transition from center to gaurd, and is now one of the most feared marksman in the country. For those of us who have followed Kevin's career over the years, its not surprising that Kevin has reached his goals. The Buckeye Prep Report would like to both congratulation Kevin and his family on this special occasion, and to wish him much success as he prepares to take his passion, dedication and talent to the next level.

Buckeye Prep Visits ODU Practice

Tonight, Coach Gary Scott and a few of his Buckeye Prep players attended practice at Ohio Dominican University in Columbus. For about 2 hours, Coach Scott and his crew of 8th graders had an opportunity to look inside a college practice and to get some insight of what it takes to play at the next level. Because development is one of the primary goals of the Buckeye Prep organization, exposure to the college game helps influence young players to focus on fundamentals and skill development. Pictured are a Coach Gary Scott, and a few of the area's top 8th graders including: Ronnie Williams, Darryl Long, Cameron Ball and Julian Scott. Buckeye Prep would like to thank ODU and Coach Artie Taylor for providing a great learning opportunity to our players.

Sullinger Ranked No. 1 in the Country

Last night, the Hoop Scoop confirmed what many of us have known for years; Jarred Sullinger is the top senior in the country. Clark Francis has been a Big Sully fan for some time, and gave the big guy the nod for the top spot in front of guys like Brandon Knight and Harrison Barnes. In addition to Sullinger, the Hoop Scoop include a total of 33 Ohio players in their list of the top 750 players in the nation. Below is the list of the Buckeyes who made the list:

#1 Jarred Sullinger 6'8 PF Columbus (Pictured)
#50 Jordan Sibert 6'3 WG Cincinnati
#100 Adrian Payne 6'8 C Dayton

#109 Juan Staten 5'10 PG Dayton
#119 Xavier Jones 6'3 WG Huber Heights (Transfer from Indiana)

#129 Aaron Craft 6'2 WG Findlay
#131 Cameron Wright 6'4 WG Cleveland
#137 Geron Johnson 6'3 WG Dayton
#146 J.D. Weatherspoon 6'6 PF Columbus
#163 Griffin McKenzie 6'9'C Cincinnati
#178 Allen Payne 6'3 WF Cincinnati
#204 Nick Kellogg 6'2 WG Westerville
#214 Derek Jackson 6'0 PG Cleveland
#228 Ralph Hill 6'6 PF Westerville
#256 Rob Brandonburg 6'3 WG Gahanna
#286 John Harris 6'7 PF Twinsburg
#287 Kenny Knight 6'7 PF Cincinnati
#335 Josh Egner 6'6 PF Massillon
#358 Quinton Rollins 5'11 PG Wilmington
#386 Criag Sealey 6'7 PF Columbus
#412 Mark Henniger 6'7 PF Massillon
#425 Kennis White 6'3 WF Warren
#439 Anton Hutchins 6'3 WG Lima
#478 Anthony Henderson 6'1 PG Toledo
#500 Cameron Black 6'9 C Kent
#519 Kevin Gray 5'11 PG Reynoldsburg
#543 A.J. Prichard 6'8 C Vandalia
#586 D.J. Martinez 6'7 PF Troy
#612 Ryabn Bass 5'9 PG Dayton
#641 Nate Tait 6'0 PG Lyndurst
#663 Brook Turson 6'3 WF Plymouth
#689 Michael Green 6'6 PF Dublin
#716 Anthony Jackson 5'11 PG Galloway

All-Ohio Nike City Series All-Star Game Recap

The Inaugural All-Ohio Nike City Series concluded with a Top 40 all-star game. Below are all-star rosters and scores. Westerville North's Ralph Hill lead his team to a 94-87 victory and lead all scorers with 23 points. Gahanna Lincoln's Rob Brandenburg was the leading scorer for the loosing team with 15 points.

Team 1: Kyle Molock (12 Points), Doug Thorpe (7 points), Jalen Robinson (8 points), Rob Brandenburg (15 points), Oliver McGlade (8 points), Steve Bridgeman (10 points), Craig Sealy, (10 points), Aaron Jackson (8 points), Bucky Chenault (3 points) and Marquise Lawrence (0 points).

Team 2: Stevie Taylor (21 points), Devin Scott (6 points), Max Van Meter (9 points), Ralph Hill (23 points), Jourdan Devoll (0 points), Adam McCall (5 points), Anthony Jackson (9 points), Jordan Laster (12 Points), Jeremy Qualls (2 points) and Shakir Dunning (8 points).

All-Ohio Nike City Series Top 40 Game Champions

The championship game of the All-Ohio Nike City Series featured a day-one rematch of the top 2 teams in the series. A Tony Lavender coached Team #1 entered the game undefeated (3-0), while Rob Taylor's Team #2 came in at 2-1. In the end, Team #2 claimed a 79-72 victory in a very competitive game that came down to the wire. Leading scorers included Michael Green (21 points), Craig Sealy (18 points), Bucky Chenault (17 points), Christian Heine (17 points), Leo Devlin (15 points) and Stevie Taylor (11 points).

MVP: Craig Sealey All-Tournament Team: Stevie Taylor, Jake Forrest, Nate Anderson, Michael Green and Bucky Chenault.

All-Ohio Nike City Series Top 20 Game Recap

In addition to the Top 40 games, the All-Ohio City Series event included a Top 20 Rising Young Players game. In that game, many of the region's elite freshmen and sophomores played a single game on day-two of the event. Despite building almost a 20 point lead at the half, the Elite team mounted a furious comeback to win the contest 52-48. Leading scorers in the game included Devin Scott (10 points), Isiah Rogers (9 points) and Nick Archer, Adam McCall and Jordan Potts (8 points). Below are the game rosters:

Elite Team: Terry Hopewell (Independence), Nick Archer (Olentangy Liberty), Nick Neale (Dublin Jerome), Channing Doerman (Westerville Central), Aaron Jackson (Gahanna Lincoln), Adam McCall (Harvest Prep), Khalid King (Brookhaven), Jordan Potts (Northland), Matt Kurelic (Worthington Christian) and Jack Gibbs (Westerville North).

Gold Team: Devin Scott (Nothland), Eric Weisenbach (Dublin Coffman), Marquies Lawrence (Dubin Coffman, Kechan Lewis(Northland), R.J. Raglin (Rynoldsburg), Isiah "Zeke" Rogers (Westerville South) Doug Richely (Harvest Prep), Grant Harris (Harvest Prep), Ronnie Stokes (Gahanna Lincoln) and Matt Rhodes (Weterville North).

MVP-Adam McCall All-Tournament Team: Nick Archer, Khalid King, Terry Hopewell, Devin Scott and Kechaun Lewis