King James Shooting Stars Classic-Day Two Report

Dahjuan Lee-6'0 C Grand Blank, MI

Although I spent most of day two camped out at the 7th grade gyms, I started my day off watching my 6th grade Buckeye Prep team play against Michigan's FABE. Like last night, Buckeye Prep dug themselves a big hole, as FABE held Prep scoreless until the 3:12 mark in the second quarter. Although Buckeye Prep would make a 7-1 run early in the 2nd quarter to close the first half down 7-14, FABE would go on to get the 26-36 win. The Michigan team was powered by McKyan James, a dynamic little PG from Grand Blank MI. He is small, but James knows how to get in the paint and make things happen. Armed with a sold handle and prerequisite speed, James has some some nice tools in his box. In the middle, 6'0 Dahjaun Lee showed a lot of promise. Although he has only played the game for about 1 year, Lee already has the kind of athleticism and physical tools coaches covet. He handles the rock well for his size, has good length, passes well out of the post and runs the floor like a guard. Michigan guys might want to keep an eye on this kid. I also liked Dotwan Comb, a 5'6 SF from Flint. What made Comb special was his size and ability to handle the ball. For Buckeye Prep, Julius Brown stepped up and played a solid game, as did Malik Lyshe and Trevor Grady. Buckeye Prep Would later win their first 2 games in the bronze division bracket play

All-Ohio Red (6th grade) found themselves in an early morning battle with Indiana Elite. Though Indiana Elite led for most of the contest, AOR battled back and actually took a 1 point lead with about 4 minutes left. However, a couple of empty possessions by Red, and Indiana buckets, led to a 49-43 loss. Columbus' Tavion Kansey was the high man for AOR, while Indiana was paced by Jordan Webb, Drew Bruns and Nate McClain.

Jaylon Harris-6'2 PF Cleveland

Over at Wadsworth High School, I caught the matchup between the 7th grade Murphy AC Knights and Team Elite out of New York. The Knights got the job down with a 62-53 win. The big dog for the Knights is Jaylon Harris, a 6'2 PF from Cleveland. In this game, Harris finished with 18 points. I've seen Harris on a couple of occasions at my Buckeye Prep Elite Showcases, and he has always dominated the competition. This was my first time seeing him in a team setting, and he did not disappoint. He is still tough to guard in the paint and can score at a high rate. In addition, Harris is a rebounding machine and is great rebounding out of his area. While Harris was handling his business in the post, Tommy Schmock was finding creative ways to get Harris the rock. Schmock, a 5'8 point man from Middleburg Heights is the kind of guard coaches love. He has a high IQ, makes sold decisions with the ball and is just crafty enough to handle "AAU type"  pressure. Later on Saturday, in a matchup with AI9 from Springfield, Murphy AC gave up an early lead, and ended up going down 57-50. Before he went down with a minor injury late in the game, Jaylen Harris finished with a team-high 15 points, followed by Tommy Schmock who contributed solid PG play and 10 points. AI9 had a couple of standouts with Nojel Eastern (20 points) and Yakeema Rose (14 points). AI9 is no stranger to success, having finished 8th and 6th at the AAU Nationals the last 2 years, respectively.

Frank Royals-5'6 PG College Hill

All-Ohio Purples collected a couple of wins today, the first of which was against the MC Cougars 54-24. From the way Purple got out of the gates, it looked as though they were well on their way to a blowout victory. However, the Cougars had different plans. The leading scorer for AOP was Frank Royals who dropped a game-high 19 points. I really liked the way Royals attacked the rim and finished. Royals can also knock down the shot if given the chance. AOP has several raw prospects, that with time, work and continued growth, could have good upside potential. Kyvon Mattress, a 6'2 PF, has all the athleticism, motor and natural ability he needs; he just needs skill work and more experience playing the game. Christian Hawkins, a 6'4 center from College Hill, fits that same mold. He is bigger, stronger and possess the same upside as Mattress. Also, this kid could also have football in his future if the hard-court thing does not work out. This AOP team is deep and talented, but the players need to stay the course and continue to develop. Later in the evening, All-Ohio Purple stubbed their toe against Maryland's 6th Man Warriors 40-57. Cameron Norman, a 5'7 PG from Severn, MD, paced his team.

All-Ohio Red (AOR) ran their tournament record to 2-1 with a 54-24 victory over CFBL. This game was never really close, as AOR was clearly more talented in every position. Toledo's Brett Lauf was the top scorer with 13 points, followed by Walker (10) and Houston King (10). Though he can sometimes be a high risk, high reward kind of guy, I continue to be impressed with Lauf's skill set, aggressiveness and his overall approach to the game. As I have said in the past, this kid is a smaller version of Steve Nash.

Cody Bowes, Jerald Butler, Al-Wajid Aminu & KJ Fitz

In bracket play late Saturday night, AOR hooked up with a bigger and more athletic Miami City Ballers from Miami, FL. Out sized in the post, and with an apparent lid on the rim, All-Ohio found themselves down big, early. The Ballers got the early lead and found themselves up 21-5 at the 8:10 mark in the first half. In the later part of the opening period, Toledo's Brett Lauf and  Houston King got dialed in from beyond the ark as Red drew to within 7 points (20-27). At the half, Miami was led in scoring by big Corey Bowes, a 6'2 C from Miami. In the first half the kid was a horse, but he inflicted his damage from the three point line. In the second period he went to work in the paint. Miami scored on first 2 possessions to start the 2nd period, before Lauf buried his 3rd trey (23-23). About midway through the second half the floodgates opened as the Ballers took full advantage of easy run out buckets. At the end of the day, Miami's front line was just to big, too tough and too effective finishing in the paint. When the last horn sounded, All-Ohio's was headed home at the hands of a 52-27 loss. The Ballers's top scorer was Jerald Butler who finished with a game-high 16 points, followed by Cody Bowes with 14 markers. He did not put up big numbers, but KJ Fitz found guys often in the half court and in transition. Keep an eye out for Al-Wajid Aminu; the kid has a chance.

Logan Hill-6'3 C Jackson Twp

As proof that no lead is ever safe in AAU basketball, in 7th grade bracket play action, I caught a great game between Team Lima Kings and DB Hoops. In that game, Team Lima appeared to be coasting to a comfortable win, when momentum switched and a 30-19 halftime lead evaporated into a 2 point contest. DP Hoops, on the strength of a monster 27 point game by Logan Hill, fought all the way back and tied the game at 43 with 17 seconds left. However, Team Lima was able to hold on for dear life and advanced with a 46-44 win. Lima was led by Jariuos Ward, a 5'10 WF from Lima (18 points). Ward is a good looking athlete who excels at slashing to the cup, but he can also shoot it and defend. Ward's name should appear among my list of to 7th graders when I drop the list in a couple of weeks. Brian Williams (6th grader) was the second leading scorer with 10 points. Despite being on the loosing end of the game, one of the most impressive performance of the tournament was logged in by Logan Hill, a 6'2 post from Jackson Twp, Ohio. Although he does not play near or above the rim, and he may not get high major size for his position, this kid can play! Extremely efficient would be how I describe his game. He finishes at a high rate under the bucket; he rebounds well, and he blocks a ton of shots. Look for Hill's name in Buckeye Prep's top 30 players in a few weeks.

Antwon Smith-6'3 PF Dublin

Blessed with balanced scoring as a team, the Ohio Hoopsters are humming along and are 4-0 heading into Saturday night. Earlier in the day, the Hoopsters took down a very talented DC Assault team. Against Michigan's Brother's Keepers, the Hoopsters advanced with a 54-48 victory. The high man for the Hoopsters was Garcia Dixon, who finished with a team-high 13 points. BK's Jaylen McFadden led his squad with a game-high 18 points. In the quarterfinal game, the Hoopsters jumped all over Team Lima Kings, and the outcome was predictable by halftime, as the Hoopsters had already run the lead to 33-13. Watching the Hoopsters play defense you would almost think the had 6 players on the court. The Cardinals utilize an effective half court trap to force turnovers and to get easy money. The Hoopsters were paced by Antwon Smith, a 6'2 PF from Dublin, who finished with a game-high 14 points, followed by Trey Pugh (12 points) and Tyrell Ajain (9).

Dayton's Next Level advanced to to the semi-finals with a 65-46 blowout victory over Indiana Elite. Springfield's Daniel Davis was the man for Next Level, finishing with 9 points, followed by L'Christion Smith who added 9 points. Next Level will match up with the NC Rising Prospects in the semi-final game tomorrow.

Lydell Geffrard-6'2 PF New York

As I moved around from court to court, there were a number of players that caught my eye. That list includes the following players: Kelvin Calhoun-6'2 C South Euclid Ohio-DB Hoops; Lydell Geffrard-6'2 PF New York-King Street Kings; Bobby Dhaliwai-6'5 C Brampton, Ontario-Brampton Warriors; Jordan Fulerton-5'11 SG/WF Brampton, Ontario-Brampton Warriors; Troy Brown-5'9 WF Saginaw, MI-Saginaw Panthers; Janlen Davis-5'4 PG Saginaw, MI-Saginaw Panthers; Jaylen McFadden-6'1 C Detroit, MI-Brother's Keepers; Brian Miller-4'9 PG Lima, OH-Team Lima Kings; Jarious Ward-5'10 SG/WF Lima, OH-Team Lima Kings; Login Hill-6'2 C Jackson Twp, OH-DB Hoops; JJ Foster-5'6 PG Ft. Wayne, IN-Ft Wayne Next Level; Niko Braster-6'1 PF Ft. Wayne, IN-Ft. Wayne Next Level; Garcia Dixon-5-10 SG Whitehall,OH-Ohio Hoopsters/Cardinals; Cameron Norman-5'7 PG Severn, MD-6th Man Warriors; Cody Bowes-6'2 C Miami, FL-Miami City Ballers; Jerald Butler-6'1 PF Miami-Miami City Ballers; KJ Fitzgerald-5'8 PG Miami-Miami City Ballers;  Charlie Carter-6'1 PF Indianapolis, IN-Indiana Elite; Daniel Davis-5'10 PF Springfield, OH-Next Level; L'Christian Smith-6'3 WF Dayton, OH-Next Level; Keegan Seban-6'0 PG Beavercreek-Next Level; Nojel Eastern-5'10 SG/WF Chicago, IL-AI9; Yakeema Rose-5'3 PG Springfield, IL-AI9; Houston King-5'7 SG Toledo-All-Ohio Red; Brett Lauf-5'6 PG Toledo-All-Ohio Red; Antwon Smith-6'2 PF Dublin, OH-Ohio Hoopsters/Cardinal ;Tyerell Aijan-5'9 PG Mansfield-Ohio Hoopsters/Cardinals; and Trey Pugh-PF Hilliard and OH-Ohio Hoopsters/Cardinals.

Day One & Two Standouts

Day 1 & 2 Pictures