Young Guns Get Their Turn At Open Gym

I spent most of session three watching some of central Ohio's up and coming 9th graders (pictured). In addition to the 40 varsity-level players who showed up, 22 freshmen had a chance to get in some quality work. Of course there were some of the usual suspects such as Gahanna's Manual Powell, Northland's Ronnie Williams and Nate Jamison, but a couple of new kids caught my eye. One of the best 9th graders in the gym was Dymiere Fitch, a 6'2 combo guard from Walnut Ridge. This kid has game! Fitch has good length, is very fluid, has a nice handle and a few nifty dribble moves which he uses to beat his man off the dribble and get to the cup. I also liked the the fact that Fitch was a willing and able passer and did a good job of communicating with his teammates. Also playing well was Jaeson Tate, a 6'2 PF at Pickerington Central. Tate is aggressive, has decent size and benefits from good genetics. Northland continues to attract local talent, as evidenced by the play of Octavius Luke, a 5'6 point guard. Luke shot the ball well and made several other nice plays. I also got a chance to watch an entertaining matchup of undersized point gurads, as Manuel Powell and Xavier Holston-Sims (8th grader) went at it. I also caught a little of the high school action, and noticed that Northland's Devin Scott was still getting it done. Scott flashed a nice mid-range jumper, finished around the cup more times than not, and might might be the most improved player I have seen this fall. I also thought Westerville North's Matt Rhodes shoot the ball well. Ohio State's Jarred Sullinger dropped by the gym for a run and looked every bit the high major player we have watched play for years. To see some of the pictures I took on Sunday, visit the Buckeye Prep Facebook Fan Page.

Sunday Hoops Rolls On

For the second straight Sunday many of Central Ohio's best high school ballers made their way to the USA Sports Academy for a full afternoon of competitive hoops. This week Victor Dandridge's open gym brought in roughly fifteen 9th graders to go along with the 35 varsity level players in some highly contested games. Although the usual suspects were there, a few less heralded players stepped up this week. Michigan bound Trey Burke had another good day, as he often made the game look a bit too easy while putting up consistently big numbers most of the day. Although Cillicothie's Malik London did not bust the score board by any stretch, he did rule the paint as he preceded to throw shots into the stands on a regular basis. London is more of a defensive threat right now, but he did show signs of a developing offensive game. Westerville South's Isiah Rogers had a big day. I really liked Roger's aggressiveness and the way he pushed and distributed the rock. Not only did he lead his team, Rogers knocked down shots when open. I had a chance to check out Westerville Central's Kameron Harris for the first time, and I was really impressed with his overall game. Harris has good size and strength and call really score the ball. From what I understand, Harris sat out last high school season, and is poised to have a big year for Central. Northland's Devin Scott's games is continuing to develop, as he was almost dominate in some of the games I watched. Scott appears to be bigger and stronger and much more aggressive around the bucket. This could be a breakout year for Scott, and he may push Jalen Robinson for more minutes this coming season. Miami pledge Brian Sullivan also had a solid day as he continues to turn heads with his play. Dublin Coffman's Eric Wisenbach made a little offensive noise and the 7 footer may be turning the corner. With the loss of Michael Green to graduation and Kyle Molock to an injury, Coffman can use all the good news they can get right now. Keep an eye out for Westerville North's Jack Gibbs Jr. this season. Although it was Gibbs' first time out, he showed no signs of being intimidated. Gahanna's Jamel Morris continues to show signs of improvement with his jump shot and Tre Warr's athleticism should pay dividends for Gahanna Lincoln this season. To check out some pictures I took on Sunday, visit the Buckeye Prep Facebook Fan Page.

Stars Shine at Central Ohio Open Gym

For the most part, basketball is between seasons, as the AAU season rapped up in late July and the 2010/2011 high school season does not get started until November. However, elite level basketball players must continue to seek out competition in an effort to hone their game as they prepare for both the upcoming prep season as well as college basketball this time next year. This past Sunday about 30 of central Ohio's top players met at the USA Sports Academy for a day of competitive hoops. Victor Dandridge, affectionately known as Coach Vic, worked the phone lines and assembled a group of elite Columbus-area players for a very competitive run. It's not a formal fall-type basketball league, but competitive basketball was in the house as invitations were made to a number of the area's top players. For about 2 hours, and on 3 seperate courts, players competeted in 5 very competitive games. Some of the players who participated in the first of 5 scheduled sessions included: Northland's Trey Burke, Jalen Robinson (Pictured), Devon Scott, Jordan Potts; Westerville South's Isiah Rogers & DeMarkio Lyshe; Marion Franklin's Elijah Macon, Dwayne Bazemore, Austin Traylor & Isiah Brooks; Gahanna's Tre Warr & Jamel Morris; and Upper Arlington's Brian Sullivan. Word on the street says Northland's Jalen Robinson had a big day as he dominated every other post player in the gym. Devon Scott reportedly played well, as did Walnut Ridge's Austin Traylor, Dwayne Bazemore & Isiah Brooks and Northland's Trey Burke. When asked about his motivation for facilitating these series of elite open gyms, Dandridge indicated he is "only interested in helping players to develop and while providing a chance for the kids to have fun in a safe and competitive open gym setting. If you want more in depth coverage of Dandridge's furture open gyms, visit Buckeye Prep next week.

AAU Nationals: Day Four

Most people would agree that the AAU Nationals is a week long grind that takes players, coaches and fans on an emotional roller coaster. For several Ohio-based teams, the day was filed with highs and lows and thrills and disapointment. For All-Ohio Red, a slow start against a young but talented Houston Hoops squad doused any chance of a repeat of last year's national title run. On the strength of great guard play, Houston Hoops jumped out on All-Ohio and never relinquished the lead to advance to the 4th round with a 66-56 victory. J-Michael Reese led Houston with a game high 23 points, followed by LJ Rose who finished with 11 points. Trey Burke and George Fant led All-Ohio with 19 and 17 points, respectively. In the first game of the 3rd round consolation bracket, All-Ohio Red faced instate foe, Friends 4 Life. Word had it that the Friends' players and coaching staff "had been waiting for this match up all year." Well they got it, along with a 67-43 loss and an exit from the tournament. Stevie Taylor sparked All-Ohio with an early barrage of buckets on his way to a game-high 23 points. In support, George Fant added 12 points while Trey Burke finished with 11 and Nate Anderson contributed 9 points. All-Ohio will face the Florida Rams in a 3:00 on Saturday. Friends 4 Life was relagated to the 3rd round consolation bracket after a 54-48 loss to North Carolina's CP3 eariler in the day. All-Ohio Swag's turnament run ended on Friday with a 51-65 loss to the Illinois Heat.

The West Virginia Wildcats dropped a 60-57 decision against HCYP Elite on Friday. The Wildcats' Chase Fischer got a clean look at a trey to send the game in to over time, but failed to convert as time expired. The Buckeye Ballers are still alive in the second round consolation bracket with wins over the Charlotte Royals and the Hudson Hornets. The Ballers will face the Middlesex Magic on Saturday. Kenny Kaminski has been been playing great ball for the Ballers and is nearing a decision on is college choice. Word on the streets says he will choose Michigan State. Stay tuned. To see pictures of the event see the Buckeye Prep Facebook Fan Page

AAU Nationals: Day Three

Day three at the AAU Nationals began on a bright note for several Ohio-based teams. In their only game of the day, All-Ohio Red advanced to the 3rd round with a convincing 62-36 win over Maryland Finest in the night cap. With balancing scoring, Red held off a hard charging and upset-minded Maryland squad. George Fant and Ryan Burrell led the way for All-Ohio with 13 points apiece, followed by Nate Anderson and Trey Burke (8 points), and Stevie Taylor (7 points). For Maryland, the high scorer was Javon Moore who finished with 13 points. All-Ohio's third round opponent will be a very talented Houston Hoops with a possible forth round match up against a star studded CP3 from North Carolina. Friends 4 Life is enjoying a nice tournament run after finishing 1st in pool play and advancing to the third round with a 70-53 win over the Atlanta All-Stars last night. Friends 4 Life could face North Carolina's C P3 in the third round.

The King James Shooting Stars dropped a tough one in the first game in bracket play against the West Virginia Wildcats. After Westervile South's Treavon Jackson knocked down a trey to put the Wildcats up by 1 points, King James had a shot with time running out to get off a shot to take the lead. However, a drive into the paint and turnover led to a 43-42 loss. Tyquan Goard led the Wildcats with 10 points, while Wake Forest-bound Chase Fischer added 9 points. King James was paced by Jakarr Sampson who finished with 10 points, followed by Niles Evans (9) and Darius Carter (8). The Queen City Prophets finished their tournament run with a 46-44 loss to the MS Ambassadors in the first round consolation bracket. MAC Ohio lost to the Cincy Royals Wulf 69-67 in the second game of the Classic Division.

Club Ohio lost their opening round game to Carolina Elite 35-47. Demetrius Pruitt led with 14 points and Major Thomas and Jalen Billups added 13 and 11 points, respectively. Demarcus Harrison led Carolina with 14 points and Fred Mattison contributed 11 points. All-Ohio Swag put up a good fight, but ultimately ran out of gas, as Chicago's Old Gold claimed the 63-54 victory last night. Derrick Marks dropped a game-high 18 points and Rayshaun McGrew added 14 points for Old Gold. Swag was led by Dominique McDonald's 15 points. Mike Bean added 8 points and James Young scored 7 markers. All-Ohio White is still alive in the consolation bracket after a 74-53 win over Southwest Florida Select and 52-50 victory over Berks Bball Club. Ann Arbor, Michigan's Luther Page has emerged as the "go to" guy for Ed Lyshe's squad the last couple of games. I caught a great game between the Long Island Lighting and MBA Hoops. The game featured a battle between 2 elite guards in Deville Smith and Kareem Canty. Long Island got the 69-63 win. Western Kentucky pledge Derrick Gordan dropped a game-high 21 points, while Kareem Canty added 17 and Kamari Murphy contributed 12. MBA was led by Deville Smith and Rodney Hood who both scored 16 points and LaQuinton Ross added 15 points.

Other News and Notes:

All-Ohio Red's U-16 team has reached the championship game of the U-16 Nationals after a 87-63 win over BWSL. During the course of their run, All-Ohio has been enjoying balanced scoring and attacking offense. The Cincinnati Knights exited the tournament after a tough 1 point loss tonight. The Knights were one game away from the medal game.

AAU Nationals: Day One & Two

The U-17 AAU Nationals tipped off on Tuesday at the ESPN Wild World of Sports complex in Orlando, Florida, and 204 division one teams from across the country set off on a mission to claim a national title. Fifteen Ohio-based teams are here in Orlando including: All-Ohio Red, White & Swag, King James, Queen City Prophets, Team CBIZ, Cincinnati Royals, Buckeye Ballers, Club Ohio, MAC Ohio, Ohio Crossover and Shining Stars.

On opening day, All-Ohio Red got off to a positive start with a 79-64 win over the Tifton Eagles. Although Red continued with their sluggish ways, their superior talent proved to be the difference. George Fant and Trey Burke led the charge for All-Ohio with 24 points each. In support, Stevie Taylor finished with 16 points and Elijah Macon added 10 points. On the second day of action, All-Ohio Red defeated an under-manned South Florida Sharks. Stevie Taylor led All-Ohio with a team-high 17 points, while Trey Burke added 16 points, Ryan Burrell finished with 14 points, Elijah Macon contributed 12 points and George Fant had 11 points. Drew Joyce's King James Shooting Stars stumbled out of the blocks with a 51-48 loss to 4th seeded Team Power out of Georgia. Although Jakarr Sampson went off for 20+ points, King James let a close get away. Game 2 of the day was a much different story for King James, as they took their anger out on an unsuspecting Metro Boston, leading to a 80-37 mercy rule. Nyles Evans had a breakout game as he led the Shooting Stars with 23 points. Davonte Beard added 17 points.

Ed Lyshe's All-Ohio White squad had a nightmarish start and was sitting at 0-2 at the end of the day. White lost the opening game to the Wave Basketball Club then virtually gave away their second game away to the District All-Stars. Late game missed free throws and a turnover with 15 seconds left resulted in the 56-54 loss. Toledo's Chester McFadden paced White with 11 points while Chauncy Orr added 8 points. Although All-Ohio White bounced back on day two with a 2-point win against Phoenix South Busby, it was not enough to avoid the Classic bracket. All-Ohio Red took care of business in the afternoon game to claim a a 72-56 win over Connecticut Select. Red led wire-to-wire in this one, and was led by Trey Burke's 20 points. Nate Anderson was hot from the perimeter as he knocked down four treys on the way to a 12 point effort. Stevie Taylor finished with 12 points. Jeronve Harris and Roljan Brown led Connecticut with 15 and 14 points, respectively. The Queen City Prophets finished 2-1 in pool play after a tough loss to the Bama Boys in the afternoon session. The King James Shooting Stars had another big win Wednesday afternoon with a 28 point win over the Derrick Smith All-Stars. Nyles Evans continued his hot shooting by hitting 6 treys and finishing with 20+ points.

Other News and Notes

All-Ohio Red's U-16 squad is getting busy here in Orlando at the U-16 nationals. After finishing second at the Super Showcase last week, Red is currently 6-0 and headed to the Elite Eight after a convincing win over CP3 on Wednesday. Later in the day, All-Ohio Red faced off against the South Florida Panthers and punched their ticket to the quarter-finals with a 50-64 win. The Cincinnati Knights stubbed their toe this afternoon with a 50-64 loss to the Southern Kings in the 3rd round. All-Ohio Purple is still alive after a 12 point victory against Hoops Dreamz in the first round consolation bracket.