NYBL's Deron Williams Elite Wins NOLO Super 60

Deron Williams Elite-NOLO Super 60 Champs

When Coach Josh Woodson’s Deron Williams Elite squad arrives here in Columbus this weekend for the NYBL finals, they will arrive with a lot of confidence as the team just went undefeated on their way to the championship of the NOLO Super 60, one of the biggest and most prestigious tournaments in the country. To win the title, D-Will had to take down the Arkansas Warriors and SELA Warriors in pool play; followed by the Arkansas Hawks (+20), Jacksonville Magic, I-10 Celtics (by 13) and the Memphis War Eagles (50-44) in bracket play.

The leading scorers for Woodson’s team were Reese Maxey, DeVion Harmon and Chris Harris Jr. It should be noted that all three players have logged in standout performances during the last 2 sessions of the NYBL and should all have good odds of making the NYBL All-Star Game in September. Defensively, Marcus McLanahan, Terry Woods and Andrew Pitts reportedly got it done for D-Will. According to coach Woodson, “it was a great team effort in New Orleans and hopefully we can carry the momentum to Columbus for session 3!” Congrats to Coach Woodson, his players, parents and fans for representing the NYBL so well!

Game Day: "Running on Empty"

Several months ago at my Buckeye Prep Invitational tournament I was approached by Dr. Kenneth Ransom regarding him putting together a series of articles directed at young athletes and their sports-related health. I thought it was an excellent idea, and we agreed that if he wrote the stories I would publish them on my website. Well, below is the first article in what will become a series of articles designed to educate parents, coaches and players about their health as it relates to basketball and other sports. I hope you find the information helpful!


Game Day: “Running on Empty”

The importance of pre-game nutritional preparation, adequate fluid and electrolyte maintenance during the game and proper post game recovery has recently been emphasized by Gatorade. Attention to these concepts will not only enhance performance on game day but supports the overall health and development of the players. Good nutritional support and hydration becomes even more challenging during tournaments when the boys can play multiple games at variable times, for several days in a row.

When possible the athlete should start the day with a full meal loaded with carbohydrates and proteins. However a full meal requires over two hours for digestion so should not be consumed inside of two hours before vigorous physical activity. When game time is within two hours, the player can top off his carbohydrate stores with a snack. Cereal bars, yogurt and fruit, small turkey or peanut butter sandwiches will work well. He also should start drinking fluids two hours before the game to get pre-hydrated. Sports drinks that contain carbohydrates and electrolytes are preferable. The player should drink 16 to 24 oz. prior to the game. Stay away from high caffeine content energy drinks. Caffeine is a diuretic and will eventually lead to further dehydration.

During the game, the athlete needs to continue to consume sports drinks, about 8 oz. for every 15 minutes of playing time. A player loses important electrolytes, especially sodium and also needs a continuous energy supply from carbohydrates during intense exercise. Plain water alone does not replace these important products. Muscle function is particularly susceptible to dehydration.

After the game, not only does carbohydrate energy stores need replenished but protein loses from muscle damage need to be replaced. Protein bars, small sandwiches, vegies and fruit are good. Cheese pizzas, hot dogs and chips are not good; they have little nutritional value and do not digest efficiently. Likewise, soft drinks are also not very good because they a mostly sugar as are candy bars. Sugar does not metabolize efficiently and can make the player sluggish. For something sweet, long distance runners like chocolate milk. Water is also a good fluid to drink post game for rehydration of body cells.

When there are multiple games to play, nutrition and fluid consumption is dictated by the schedule. If there is at least three to four hours between games, the athlete can eat a full, healthy meal with protein and carbohydrates. When there is two hours or less between games, there is only time for a good snack with water or a sports drink. Be sure to include a protein source in the post-game snack to facilitate muscle recovery from the previous game. Remember that the player will need to also drink about 16 to 24 oz. in order to pre-hydrate for the next game. Drink another 8 oz. of a sports drink pre- game to get “carb’d-up” and pre-hydrated. Remember to continue to drink 8 oz. of sports drinks for every 15 minutes of play to stay hydrated during the game.

This sequence can go on multiple times during the day at a tournament. If the boys don’t remain hydrated and nourished, their performance will diminish as the day goes on. The players need to be at their best and ready to play that last game of the day for the championship and not “Running on Empty.”

By Dr. Kenneth Ransom

Field Set for Summer Showdown

The field is now set for the first ever Buckeye Prep Summer Showdown! Scheduled to run in conjunction with the NYBL Finals this weekend at the USA Sports Academy in Columbus, the Summer Showdown has attracted the best 7^th grade teams in the state for one final showdown before the end of the season. The tournament format is a little unique, as each of the 4 pools are super pools, meaning all 4 teams in each pool will advance to single elimination bracket play beginning Saturday night.

The field will include all but 2 of Buckeye Prep’s top 10 ranked teams, but will also host teams from Michigan and South Carolina for a different flavor. Both of the recent Ohio AAU District champions will hook up Saturday afternoon for ultimate bragging rights. If you’re in town and want to see some of Ohio’s and the country’s best young talent, you might want to make your way over to the USA Sports Academy to catch some of the action!

Tournament Information

Midwest Future Stars Showdown-Final Day Action

All-Ohio Red-7th Grade Champions

The final day of the Midwest Future Stars Showdown featured a long awaited matchup between All-Ohio’s 7^th grade squad and Buckeye Prep. A Jimmy Weirick trey got All-Ohio the early 3-0 lead, but a Teon Jennings layup and free throw tied the game at 3-3. All-Ohio would later go on a 6-0 run to go up 11-6, but another Jennings layup trimmed the lead to 8-11 at the 11:29 mark. Buckeye Prep would later pull ahead 15-14 with 10:05 left in the half, but another 3 ball by Weirick put All-Ohio back in front 17-15 (9:39). Another All-Ohio run extended the lead to 25-19 at 6:12, but with about 4:46 left, Prep had cut the lead to 1 point (24-25). By halftime, All-Ohio was up 37-32. Two free throws to start the second half extended the All-Ohio lead to 41-46. About midway through the second period All-Ohio began to open a sizable lead and would go on to win the game by a comfortable 72-45 margin. At the end of the day, All-Ohio was bigger in the post, had more depth off the bench, while Buckeye Prep simply turned the ball over way too often to even have a chance at winning the game. Jimmy Weirick was the game’s leading scorer with 17 points, followed by Jamil Goliday (16) and Houston King (13). Teon Jennings was the high man for Buckeye Prep, followed by Seth Goodson and Garrett Tipton, both of whom finished with 10 points.

All-Tournament Team

The only other game I watched on Sunday was the 7^th grade championship game between All-Ohio Red and Detroit Showtime.  This was a great game, complete with a big come back and overtime drama. Speaking of a comeback, early in the game, All-Ohio was down 12-2 with 11:10 left in the half. However, an 11-0 run cut the lead to 13-12 by the 8:55 mark. All-Ohio took their first lead (20-17) with about 6 minutes left in the period, and then each team took turns sharing the lead until about the 3:10 mark when the game was knotted at 25.  From there, Detroit spurted and took a 35-26 lead into the break. Detroit scored first to start the second period, but an All-Ohio run cut the lead to 35-42 at 13:29. By the 7:03 mark, All-Ohio was only down 46-51. For the rest of the game, All-Ohio would make mini runs to cut into the lead, and would lead 55-54 with 4:26 left. By the end of regulation the game was tied at 60-60. All-Ohio got out of the gates quickly with an 8-2 spurt in OT.  Although Detroit battled back, that early run was the difference in the contest, as All-Ohio went on to claim the championship 76-68.  Toledo’s Houston King led all scorers with 15 points, followed by Juan Elmore (14) and Jimmy Weirick (13). Keon Epps (6’2 C Det) and Brandon Green (5’11 WF Det) paced Detroit with 12 points apiece. The tournament MVP was Jimmy Weirick, and the All-Tournament Team included: Houston King, Jamil Goliday, Deshaun Daniels, Mark Watts and Brandon Green. 

Midwest Future Stars Showdown & Shootout-Saturday Action

Brandon Green-5'11 WF Detroit

On Saturday, I spent some time at Jerry Watson’s Memorial Day tournament in Columbus,  Although the field was way down this year (only about 56 teams) there were a handful of compelling match-ups worth watching in the 7^th grade division. Early in the morning, All-Ohio’s 7^th grade team played a split version of its 6^th grade team (the other half of the team had to fill in for a 6^th grade team that was a no show). In that game, the 7^th graders raced to an early 7-0 lead for which they never really relinquished. The 6^th graders would chip away at the lead the entire game, and actually get to within 42-43 with 8:08 left in the game, but big brother would eventually get it done 66-58. Pickerington’s Jimmy Weirick led all scorers with 20 points, followed by Jamil Goliday with12 points. Greg Tribble paced the 6^th graders with 12 points, followed by Gerard Reynolds with 10 and Jordan Mitchell with 8 points. It should be noted that Ohio Hoopster’s Juan Elmore is running with All-Ohio this weekend.

Ed Lyshe’s 7^th grade Buckeye Prep squad matched up with Detroit Showtime in the morning and got out to a 4-0 lead. The game was locked up at 6-6 by the 14-01 mark, but Detroit took their first lead (11-10) with 11:28 left in the half. By halftime Buckeye Prep was down 34-35. Prep opened the second half with a score to take the lead (36-35), but Detroit would respond in a big way and open up a 38-48 lead by the 12:27 mark.  Buckeye Prep would eventually cut the lead to 51-54, but Detroit would hold on for the win. Individual scores were not kept, but Detroit’s Brandon Green (5’11 WF) was the top guy for his squad.

Garrett Tipton-Played Big for Prep

Later in the afternoon Buckeye Prep hooked up with Demarco Bradley’s full All-Ohio Red 6^th grade squad in pool play. Prep got out to a quick 2-0 start, and then 6, before All-Ohio trimmed the lead to 5-6 at the 12:07 mark. With 5:33 left in the half, Buckeye Prep was up 17-9 and cruising. An All-Ohio run late in the first half cut the lead to 14-17 with 4:40 left. All-Ohio took their first lead of the game (23-21) at the 1:50 mark, and would take a 24-23 lead into the half. A Seth Goodson layup to start the half gave Buckeye Prep the lead, but a Jordan Mitchell trey gave the lead back to All-Ohio (27-25). After an All-Ohio run, Prep answered, and a Garrett Tipton layup tied the game at 29 with 11 minutes left. Buckeye Prep took a 31-29 lead at 10:25 and from there, they never really looked back. The difference in this game was Prep’s ability to not only handle the press, but to actually get easy buckets off of it. Garrett Tipton had a big game, scoring a game-high 22 points.

Detroit Showtime and All-Ohio’s 7^th grade squad got it on in game 2 of the day, and despite the standout performance of Juan Elmore, All-Ohio went down 69-62.

Buckeye Prep Team Rankings Updated

Needless to say, the 2 Ohio AAU District Qualifiers really shook up the 6^th and 7^th grade team rankings last weekend. Right out of the gate on Friday night in Cincinnati, the state’s #1 ranked 7^th grade team (Queen City Prophets) went down in defeat to the Ohio Hoopsters in a major upset.  Then early the next morning the upstart Ohio Unity knocked off the Shining Stars who were poised for a big jump in the rankings after a couple of good showing the previous weeks. The upsets weren’t limited to southern Ohio, as the Great Lakes District Qualifier threw a couple of curve balls as well, as the favorites, SMAC U and Murphy AC both took a back seat to King James on Sunday. I don’t think any team was as impressive as the central Ohio-based Team Excel who ran the gauntlet of quality teams all weekend to claim the gold medal.  Because of their efforts, we now have a new #1 team state!

The next chance for teams to make a statement will come next week in Columbus as most of the state’s top 7^th grade squads will be participating in the Buckeye Prep Summer Showdown. This event will be in conjunction with the NYBL Finals (same facility) so you know the gym will be electric!

There really was not much drama in the 6^th grade division, as All-Ohio Red ran through the field in Cincinnati as expected. Murphy AC was the last team standing in the North in division I. Dayton Elite won the D-II title in Buckeye Valley in a thrilling win over Ohio Hoopster Elite. The team that made the biggest jump in the rankings was southern Ohio’s Riverside Flyers.  We don’t get to see much of them, but this is a well constructed team that knows how to play basketball.

In the 8^th grade division, Ohio Unity pulled a big upset last weekend by taking down #2 ranked All-Ohio Red in Jerry Watson’s Super Sixteen tournament in Columbus last weekend. With that loss, as well as their loss of Logan Hill to injury, All-Ohio takes a big drop to #6, and Ohio Unity makes a power move upward. King James has continued to win as has OBC and Next level. With the 8^th grade AAU state qualifiers tipping off next week, look for some additional movement in the rankings next week.

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