Ohio Dynasty’s Super 60-Recap

 

Murphy AC Knights-7th Grade Champions

On Saturday, I caught some of the action at Ohio Dynasty’s Super 60 tournament in Columbus. Although many of the top teams who had previously committed to the one-day event dropped out at the last minute, there still were a few talented 6th, 7th and 8th grade teams participating. The top 6th grade squads were the Ohio Hoopsters, Murphy AC and the Pickerington Wildcats. The best game I saw was in the 6th grade division, and pitted the #1 ranked Ohio Hoopsters against the #6 ranked Pickerington Wildcats.

In the game, the Hoopsters drew first blood on a David Madison jumper, but the Wildcats answered right back on a layup by Hilliard’s Isaiah Speelman. Pickerington took its first lead (9-8) with 10:47 left in the first half, and would expand the lead to 16-11 by the 6:05 mark. After the Hoopster’s Ty Wiley drained back-to-back treys, the lead was closed to 1 point (20-21) with 2:45 remaining in the half. The Hoopsters retook the lead (22-20) at 1:30, and finished the half up 24-21. It was nip and tuck the entire second half, and the game was not decided until the closing minutes. In fact, down 32-31 with 57 seconds left, the Wildcats could have taken the lead as Isaiah Speelman stepped to the line to shoot 1 and 1. Speelman missed the front end, and a subsequent layup by David Madison all but sealed the game at 34-31 with 28.1 ticks left on the clock. The hoopsters would eventually claim a 38-31 victory. It should be noted the Antwon Johnson was running with the Wildcats and will be playing with the team at the AAU Nationals.

Ty Wiley-5'2 PG Columbus

The leading scorer for the Hoopsters was Ty Wiley who finished with a game-high 11 points. Wiley continues to build his case as not only one of the top guards in central Ohio, but the state. Wiley is quick, crafty with a tight handle, and he has proven he can shoot the rock consistently. David Madison is also one of the key cogs in the Hoopsters’ machinery, and he may have as much upside as anybody on that team. Madison finished with 10 points, followed by Juan Elmore with 6 and Corey Baker with 5 points apiece. For the Wildcats, Isaiah Speelman did the heavy lifting, finishing with a team-high 11 points.

Isaiah Speelman-6'2 C Hilliard

This was the first time I have seen Speelman play, and I left quite impressed with his skill set. Although the 6’2 Speelman is thin, and will need to continue adding weight, right now, the kid is an excellent passer for his position, and he finishes at a high rate around the basket. In addition, Speelman flashed a couple of quality post moves, and he defends very well. I also like the fact that Speelman is a good free throw shooter and he runs the floor reasonably well for his size. The next closest scorers for the Wildcats were Garret Tipton and Seth Goodson, both of whom added 4 points. Both Tipton, a big, and Goodson, a guard, are key pieces to the Wildcats’ puzzle.

Tarik Wright-6'2 WF/PF Columbus

While watching the Hoopsters versus Wildcats’ game on court #1, I would occasionally glance over to court #2 to watch some of the action between Hills Sports versus the Showtime Ballers (8th grade division). Although the Hills Sport would go ahead and get the 54-45 win, the big story of the game was the standout performance of Tarik Wright, a 6’2 swing man from Columbus. Built like a linebacker, Wright was surprisingly agile for his size. Not only did Wright display athleticism and explosiveness on a breakaway dunk, he knocked down a handful of treys as well. Most teams are forced to play Wright in the post because of his size, but his play on Saturday proved he could get it done on the perimeter. Wright finished with a game-high 19 points. Too bad Wright is moving to Detroit, MI. this summer as I would have liked to watch his progression. Finally, I have to give a shout out to Coach Sunny Calloway for making sure I kept an eye out for Wright!

Coryon Rice-5'8 SG Cleveland

Although I was not there to see it, Kevin Jackson’s 6th grade Murphy AC squad won the tournament with double digit victory of the Hoopsters in the championship game. Although the Hoopsters clipped Murphy by 1 point in an earlier game, they erased an early Hoopsters’ lead to claim the tournament title on Sunday. The standout performers for Murphy AC were Coryon Rice, Jerry Higgins and Dwayne Colhill. Over the weekend, Murphy AC finished 3-1, which included a  win over the Pickerington Wildcats in the semi-finals.

In the 7th grade division, the Murphy AC Knights downed DB Hoops Martin by 20 points to claim the championship. Over the weekend, the Knights finished 5-0, with wins over the Lima Kings (by 15), Dayton Pilots (by 20+), Hills Sports (8th grade), OIC Dynasty (by 30) and DB Hoops Martin. The Standout players for Murphy AC were Tommy Schmock, Jaylen Harris, and Matt Davit. For DB Hoops Martin, John Williams, Kenny Harden, Calvin Calhoun and Derrick Cook were the top guys.

James Manns II-6'6 C Columbus

On my way out of the gym, a caught a few minutes of a game between the 8th grade H.O.P.E. All-Stars and Hidden Gems White. Before I left, the H.O.P.E All-Stars were handling their business. From what I can tell, Columbus’ James Manns II is continuing to develop. He has gotten a littler taller and appears to be filling out a bit since the last time I saw him play. Manns has good length, can play multiple positions and had several nifty plays in the few minutes I watched him play. Unfortunately, Manns is still flying under the radar for various reasons, but his D-I talent is still recognized by most fans in central Ohio. As he ventures out a little bit more and competes against the top players more regularly, more people will come to recognize his talent, and college coaches will make sure to add his name to their lists.