Buckeye Prep Report Weekend Recap

2022 All-Ohio Red

For the 3^rd straight weekend, Paul McMillan’s 2022 All-Red team took home a title.  On Sunday, playing up in the 8^th grade division of the Best Buy Nationals, All-Ohio Red defeated Team Manimal in overtime in the championship game to claim the championship.  Josiah Harris had a big weekend on his way to claiming MVP honors.  With 3 championships in as many weeks, there’s little doubt that All-Ohio Red deserves to sit atop our Power Rankings.  Congratulations to Coach McMillan, his players and parents for a great weekend.

Coach Danny Young’s 2022 Ohio Basketball Club (OBC) followed up a first round defeat last week at the Buckeye Prep Invitational with a championship win at the Storm Classic in Grand Rapids, MI. this past weekend.  OBC’s 5-1 record included wins over the Michigan Playmakers (76-10), a 62-61 loss to The Family; a 74-41 win over Quest; a 77-37 win over the Michigan Titans; a 63-42 win over Greenwood Elite, and a revenge win over The Family (53-47) in the championship game.  “It was a great team win,” said Coach Young. Standout performers included Jordan Huff, Aiden Lai, Elmore James, Trey Martin, Deon Horn and Jonah Dieterle.  Finally, Danny Young Jr. was widely considered the unofficial MVP by tournament officials.  Congrats to Coach Young and his team for the big win.

Coach Charles Cook’s Ohio Hoopsters traveled up to the Solon Classic this past weekend and brought back an 8^th grade crown. On Sunday alone, the Hoopsters went 4-0 with wins over the Young Ballers (56-25), Caveman Maddalon (61-51), Another Levl Marv (71-64) and 4^th Quarter Basketball (68-63).  Idris Lawson garnered MVP honors, while Jalen Sullenger, Omari Effiong and Jordan Lowery made the All-Tournament Team. Although the win was described as a “total team win,” by Coach Cook, Sullinger and Effiong led the Hoopsters in scoring with 21 points apiece.

Coach Tony Dixon’s 2021 Dayton Wolves squad did some damage at the Bearcat Classic last weekend with a 64-59 win over SMAC Future in the Gold Bracket championship game.  They also defeated SMAC Attack (48-43) and Warriors Elite (54-27) on championship Sunday. Chase Amerson, Anthony McComb and Allen Lattimore were the standouts.

Coach Jeff Rike’s 2024 All-Ohio Blue squad took the 5^th grade division championship of the Bearcat Classic on Sunday. To grab the gold, All-Ohio Blue took down SMAC Showtime, Erie Ice, GHITP, Progeny (48-27) and APEX (45-22).

Coach Andre Wheeler’s 2023 MWA Elite grabbed a championship on Sunday at the Solon Gage Classic near Cleveland.  MWA’s 6-0 path to the title ran through Another Level (54-8), Top Level All-Stars (44-15), Court Leaders (68-19), Hardwork Basketball (55-23), Ohio Hoopsters DOSE (49-48) and TNBA Flash (55-33).  Standout performers for MWA Elite were Adisa (Desh) Molten, AJ Wheeler, MJ Barnes, Cody Head and Jayvion Moore.  Jayvion Moore was selected as the tournament MVP.

Coach Gary Melliere’s 2023 Ohio Stampede squad finished 3-2 at the Solon Cage Classic with wins over TNBA West (50-18), Hardwork Basketball (51-9), COSA (52-23).  The Stampede lost to Rise High Elite in the championship game 46-43.  Standouts for the Stampede included Keegan Fernlund, Adam Melliere, Hunter Smith, Dawson Williams, and Charlie Zeller.

A shout out goes to Coach Rick White and his 2023 Dayton Swish for their Silver Bracket Championship at the Bearcat Classic on Sunday.  The Swish downed the Miller Factory in the championship game. Standouts for the Swish included Paul Woodard, Michael Smith, Kalerrio Reaves, Tyren Brown, Zion Turner Antone Allen and Dalamar Blanton.  Big ups to Coach White and his team!

The 2020 Ohio Ballstars finished second at the Bearcat Classic on Sunday in a field that included heavyweights like Indian Elite, SMAC Primetime and the Mid-Ohio Pumas.  Standouts for the Ballstars were Blake Loyd, who knocked down 19 treys over the weekend, and Cole Fisher, who averaged 16 points per game.

All-Ohio Phenom 2021 came up big at Jerry Watson’s Nike Cup on Sunday with an 8^th grade championship. To secure the title, Phenom had to get by All-Ohio Howard, All-Ohio Black, Extreme Heat, and All-Ohio Red (B team).  Kobe Johnson was selected as MVP, while Darryl Peterson, James McCollum and Devin Williams all made the All-Tournament Team.  We’re really starting to take notice of Kobe Johnson, who just keeps on logging in standout performances.  Look for him to be in the mix for our post season awards!

Congratulations to all of the teams who had success last weekend.  We will do our best to cover as many teams as we can this season, but it requires coaches and parents to send us information. Also, our final rankings will culminate in the season ending Buckeye Prep Summer Showdown scheduled for June 16-18^th.  We hope to get as many top ten teams as possible for our final rankings!