Ohio AAU State Tournament: Final Day

U-15 Division

The final day of the Ohio AAU State tournament was complete with drama, upsets, plots, sub-plots, and statement games. In terms of upsets, although most central Ohio basketball fans were well aware of the breakthrough season Ohio Varsity White had been having, over the course of the weekend, southern Ohio teams were introduced to Randy Clarkson's collection of hardworking and under-valued journeymen. Although, according to the experts, the team was void of "big time" talent, the central Ohio-based team has consistently beaten more highly touted teams both in the state and nationally the entire spring. In Cincinnati this weekend, All-Ohio Varsity White blew though pool play before reaching the finals, where they received their final stamp of approval as one of the top teams in the state, with their 54-53 win over the Cincinnati Lakers in the semi-finals and their victory over Team Jordan in the championship game. In their grudge match against a well-coached Lakers team in a semi-final game, Ohio Varsity White withstood a feverish late game run from southern Ohio's top team. In fact, the Lakers had a shot under their bucket to win the game, but could not convert as time ran out. Gahanna's Aaron Jackson's 28-point explosion was the catalyst for the win. For the Lakers, Devin Williams, Keith Watkins and Monty Boykins were all standouts in the game. To get to the U-15 championship game, Team Jordan had to get by Quentin Roger's All-Ohio Red team, which boasted some of the top prospects in the state in Marc Loving, Nigel Hayes and newly acquired Tony Farmer. After dispatching the Lakers, Ohio Varsity faced off against a talented Team Jordan squad in the championship game of the U-15 division. Although All-Ohio Varsity White jumped out to and early lead, Team Jordan fought their way back, and tied the game at halftime. In the second half, Team Jordan committed too many unforced turnovers and Ohio Varsity White pulled away for a final 13 point victory. The leading scorers for Ohio Varsity were Jack Gibbs (23 points), and Randall Clarkson Jr., Aaron Jackson and Wendell Davis (all with 13 points). For Team Jordan, both Jaylon Brown and DJ Wingfield scored in double figures.

U-16 Division

In semi-finals of the U-16 division, All-Ohio Red easily handled the Dayton Nets 86-53 to advance to the championship game. In the other semi-final game, All-Ohio Purple had to overcome a serious challenge from hometown foe Cincinnati Knights. At the end of the 1st quarter the Knights were up 19-14, and by halftime they had increased the lead by 10 points. However, the second half was a different story, as Purple turned up the heat and forced some turnovers. Add in cold shooting by the Knights and Purple came storming back to get the "W." In the contest, Orlando Berry Jr. and Adolphus Washington were the difference. For the Knights, Gionivoe McKnight, Willie Moore and Ben Galermo led the charge in the loss. The win by Purple set up a 3rd meeting with All-Ohio Red. To be honest with you, after only a few minutes, there was really no drama in this one. Orlando Berry's All-Ohio Purple squad jumped all over Red from the tip and never really looked back. Remember what I said earlier in this story about statement games, well this should be considered one of those, as, judging by the comments from the fans in the stands, Purple was playing with a chip on their shoulders relative where they stood in the state pecking order, as well as their status in the All-Ohio organization. Needless to say, you have to give the nod to the Cincinnati boys as the top dog in the Buckeye State. The combination of Adolphus Washington and Dwayne Stafford in the post and Orlando Berry Jr., Josh Lemons and Jalean Lowe on the perimeter, is simply too much for most teams. The leading scorer in the game was Washington who finished with a game-high 24 points. Tommie Kreyenhagen finished with 20 points, Dwayne Stafford added 12 points and Josh Lemons and Orlando Berry Jr, both contributed 11 points. I have to acknowledge the guard play of Chris Harrison-Docks, Myles Hamilton and Jordan Potts in that game. All three players went down swinging and made some big time plays. Jake Kretser also hit a couple of big trey to give Red a glimmer of hope.

U-17 Division

Speaking of Drama, the U-17 division offered just that. All-Ohio Red began championship Sunday with a match-up against a very scrappy Driveway Legends. All-Ohio withstood a barrage of early jump shots and dunks before shaking off a sluggish start and pulling away to claim a convincing 97-75 win. All-Ohio was led by red hot shooting from Trey Burke (32 points) and Kenny Kaminski (28 points). For Driveway, Cody Latimore inflicted the most damage to the tune of 27 points. Shawn Flemming added 17 points while Jordan Watson finished with 13 points. In their second game of the day, All-Ohio Red got by the Cincinnati Royals 69-45 to advance to the championship game. In that game, Stevie Taylor had his shot falling and was able to get to the cup at will to finish with a game-high 20 points. Kenny Kaminski finished with 17 points while Trey Burke added 14 points and Nate Anderson offered 7 points. For a chance to play for a championship, Ozzie Davis' Queen City Prophets (QCP) had to get by XBA in the 1st round, and a tough Club Ohio in the semi finals. They did both, setting up a much anticipated match-up between All-Ohio Red. The Prophets came out smoking from beyond the arc, while also throwing down some rim rattling dunks. Although the QCP sprinted out to an early lead, Red eventually got on track and actually took the lead late in the game. In fact, All-Ohio had the ball with the game tied at 71 with about 10 seconds left in regulation to win the game. Trey Burke penetrated and kicked the ball out to Kenny Kaminski for an uncontested trey, but the shot missed the mark. After the Prophets converted on more possession in the overtime period, they went on to defend their state title from last year. QCP was led by Chillicothe's Jaylen Ragland who was virtually unstoppable from beyond the three point line, resulting in a game-high 34 points. The Prophets also got contributions from Aiken's Aaron Thomas (20 points) and Withrow's Carl Porter. For All-Ohio Red, Northland's Trey Burke remained hot and finished with a team-high 28 points, followed by Kenny Kaminski's 23 points, while Stevie Taylor and Jeff Copeland both added 12 points. If you missed this game, you missed a good one, as both teams refused to loose and hit consecutive shots down the stretch. With their win, Queen City has earned the #1 seed at the AAU Nationals in July. To see more pictures of the event, visit the Buckeye Prep Facebook Fan Page.

Ohio AAU State Tournament:Saturday

The 2010 Ohio AAU State Tournament tipped off in Cincinnati last night and on the line in the U-17 division is a # 1 seed at the AAU Nationals In Orlando, Florida in July. Since All-Ohio Red is the defending national champions, the winner of the Ohio Association will get the #1 seed at the nationals. This high school division of this year's tournament features 48 teams in 3 grade divisions (9-11th).

Although All-Ohio would have to play without the services of 2 starters (Elijah Macon and George Fant did not make the trip), they were able to pick up two quality replacements in 2012 Kenny Kaminski and Northland's Devon Scott. All-Ohio Red began their quest for a repeat with a convincing 75-49 win over Ohio Crossover. In their opening game, All-Ohio's superior talent was on display as they jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. All-Ohio had broad based scoring support as 5 players scored double digit points. Red was led by Trey Burke's 18 points, followed by Kenny Kaminski (16 points), Brandon Neel (14 points), Nate Anderson (12 points), and Stevie Taylor (10 Points).

In the U-15 division, Recardo Hill's Cincinnati Lakers held off an upset minded Queen City Prophets (QCP) team to claim a 69-52 victory. Although playing without one of their key players in Josh Davenport, QCP grabbed early momentum, but could not match the depth and talent of the Lakers. Although Trent Donald was the high man for the Lakers, I was most impressed with the play of 6'6 Deven Williams who was almost unguardable in the post when the guards got him the ball. Davion Jordan added 10 points for the Lakers. For QCP, Peeper and Raymar Hariston finished with 9 and 10 points, respectively. All-Ohio Red's U-15 team jumped all over Club Ohio and cruised to an easy 40-29 win. Quintin Roger's squad was a little juiced up with the addition to Tony Farmer who came over from King James and will play with Red the rest of the summer. In this game, 5'10 Jaaron Simmons, widely regarded as the top point guard in the class, was the top dog with 18 points, followed by Nigel Hayes who finished with 15 points and Cha Cha Tucker who contributed 12 points.

All-Ohio Red's U-16 squad used strong guard play to claim a lopsided win over the Shinning Stars. Although I did not stick around for the entire game, Red had things well under control with a 56-24 lead at halftime. Before I left, Myles Hamilton and Chris Harrison-Docks were having there way with the Shinning Stars guards, as each player had already scored 11 points at the midway point in the game. Cameron Wilson appears to have improved his jump shot as evidenced by his 9 halftime points. Ed Lyshe's U-17All-Ohio White dropped a hart breaker to the Shinning Stars with a 57-58 loss. All-Ohio was in good shape late in the game until a mental let down led to a missed block out assignment and 2 extra free throws for the Stars. Although White's Chauncey Orr got off a trey with time running out to win, his shot missed the mark. The leading scorers for the Shinning Stars were Jalen Goodwin who finished with a team-high 12 points, followed by Zach Baker (11 points) and Alex McGlothin (10 points). DeMarkio Lyshe paced All-Ohio with 13 points, followed by Damone Powell (15 points) and Chauncey Orr (11 points). In their second game of the day, All-Ohio White faced off against Mac Ohio, and although they trailed for most of the game, an aggressive intentional foul by a MAC Ohio and a resulting technical foul on an All-Ohio player sparked White to a comeback and a close 75-70 win. In the game, Chauncey Orr's 21 points were a game-high, followed by Adam Westbelt's 20 points and Damone Powell's 15 points. For Mac Ohio, Lancaster's Steve Bridgmen led all Scorers with a team-high 18 points, followed by Trent Waybright who added 15 points and Dane McLaughlin who contributed 12 points.

All-Ohio Red's 17s dominated (72-38) KBC Select in their second game of the day. Key to the victory was Trey Burke's team-high 16 points, and Stevie Taylor's double double (12 points and 11 assists). In the contest, Taylor lived in the paint where he consistently and creatively found open teammates for easy buckets. Brandon Neel had a big game as well, as he went for 15 points. Devon Scott added 13 points and Nate Anderson finished with 6 points. Both Jabrill Coaston and Jordan Taylor led KBC Select with 9 points apiece. Game 3 for All-Ohio Red was a confrontation with a well-coached Shinning Stars team. Red got out of the gate early and never relinquished the lead in the 45-38 win. Red was often forced to defend the Shining Stars in the half court for 3-4 minutes at a time as they were very patient running their offense, which includes multiple screening and back door cuts. Stevie Taylor logged in another big performance as he dropped a game-high 20 points. Trey Burke finished with 7 points while Nate Anderson and Kenny Kaminiski both offered 6 points, and Brandon Neel added 4 points. Earlier in the day, Club Ohio 17s defeated the Dayton Nets by a score of 73-51. Orlando Berry's All-Ohio Purple squad is often to a 3-0 start after pool play and poised to make another championship run. Watch out for Randy Clarkson's All-Ohio Varsity White team who has picked up Pickerington's Taco Charlton who recently ran with All-Ohio Red. With Ohio Varsity having beaten Red 2 times already this year, if both teams happen to meet in the championship, the game could be epic! Ozzie Davis' U-17 Queen City Prophets team is rolling and should end up in the big game on Sunday. To see the pictures I took at the event, visit the Buckeye Prep Facebook Fan Page.

Nike EYBL Session Three LA: Final Thoughts

The Nike Elite Youth Basketball regular season came to an end on Monday, leaving a number of teams outside of the top 20, and hoping for one of a handful of at large bids (we think there are 4) to the prestigious Peach Jam scheduled for mid-July in South Carolina. On the the final day of league play, there were some upsets at the top. Most notable was the ICP's 76-64 upset win over previously unbeaten St. Louis Eagles. as has been proven in this league over the past several events, with so much talent, anybody can be beaten on any given day.

Despite their 60-70 loss to the Team Arizona, All-Ohio Red punched their ticket to the Peach Jam by finishing 7-7 overall and tied for 5th place in league play. In the Arizona game, Red was plagued by poor shooting and soft defense, as the Arizona kids easily found driving lanes and open looks. All-Ohio was paced by Trey Burke's 17 points, followed by Elijah Macon (10 points), and Stevie Taylor and George Fant (9 points). It's important to note, Elijah Macon had a great tournament and appears to be playing more inspired basketball. Due to a scheduling error, King James was forced to fly back to Ohio on Sunday night, thereby forfeiting their final game against Each One Teach One on Monday, resulting in a 6th place finish and possible exclusion from the Peach Jam.

Team Takeover pulled out a 66-61 win over Spiece on the strength of Michael Gbinije's 25 point explosion. Rapheal Davis led Spiece with 18 points, while Marquis Teague added 13 points and Nic Moore finished with 8 points. Despite a tough weekend for The Family (1-4 on the weekend), the Michigan-based team will be heading to the Peach Jam with their 5th place finish. Team Final smashed the Tennessee Travelers 92-64. Michael Gilchrist dropped 22 points, followed by Trevor Cooney (16 points), Shawn Valentine (12 points) and Aaron Brown (11 points). Craig Bradshaw led the Travelers with 15 points and Zach Garland contributed 10 points. My hat goes off to Nike and their decision to create the EYBL! By most accounts, so far in the regular season the league has been fantastic. As I have watched these kids play over the first 3 events, I have been extremely impressed with the level of play, intensity and team focus. I can only assume Nike is going to send the league off in style at the championship event (Peach Jam) in July. Look far a war in South Carolina in a few weeks! Visit the Buckeye Prep Facebook Fan Page to see more pictures. Also, check out the CourtCred.com video highlighting their pic for the top 5 plays of the weekend.

Nike EYBL Session Three LA: Day Two

Day two of of the Nike EYBL featured more of the same; great competition, big wins and tough losses. Other than some of the elite teams at the top of each division, including the St. Louis Eagles and the New Jersey Playaz, any team could win or get beat by anybody. The morning session began with another big game for the Drew Gooden/Oakland Soldiers, as they squared off against Boo Williams on center court. This game went down to the wire. Standing at the free throw line with 5.3 seconds left and a 52-52 tie, Oakland's Josiah Turner sunk 2 free throws to put his team up by 2 points. Although most in the capacity crowd thought Turner had sealed the win, Boo Williams' Brian Darden had different plans, as he drove the length of the court and got off a trey with time running out to snatch victory from a stunned Soldiers squad. Final score, 55-54 Boo Williams. The leading scorers for Boo Williams were James McAdoo who finished with 12 points and Simuel Fraizer who added 10 points. The high man for Oakland was Jabari Brown who finished with a team-high 15 points, followed by Brandon Ashley who contributed 10 points and Nick Johnson who added 7 points. Kyle Wiltjer grabbed 9 rebounds in the contest.

Although All-Ohio Red got out of the gates quickly against a Marquis Teague-led Spiece team, they found themselves trailing at half time 31-28. In the second half, Red played uninspired ball before going down by double-digits. That's when Kentucky-bound Teague went to work spreading the court and breaking down the defense. Although Teague only scored 12 points, he controlled the game, got in the paint at will and/or dished the rock to open teammates. That teammate was most often Nic Moore, who was hot from the three point line and made his defender pay for offering help side defense on Teague. By the time the horn sounded, Spiece and claimed a 72-58 victory. Oh yea, 6'11 Aaron Hammons inflicted the most damage, as he was unstoppable in the low post. Hammons did nothing flashy, but he gave Red buckets! Hammons led Spiece with 20 points and 10 boards and Moore chipped in 16 points. For All-Ohio Red, Stevie Taylor was the high man with a team-high 17 points, followed by Elijah Macon and Tommie McCune (11 points), Brandon Neel (9 points), and Trey Burke and George Fant (6 points). After the loss, All-Ohio stood at 2-1 for the weekend and 7-5 overall for a second place tie.

King James and Team Texas Elite, both of whom were sitting at 2-0 after Saturday action, faced off in the early game. King James was able to maintain their half time lead (33-20) into the second half to finish with a comfortable 60-47 win. The leading scorers for King James were Marcus Crider with 13 points, followed by Jakarr Sampson, Darious Carter and Shonn Miller, all with 9 points. The leading scorer for Team Texas was Thomas Gipson (15 points) and Jordan Wiilams (8 points).

The St Louis Eagles continued their winning streak at 12-0 with a 69-50 win over the Birmingham Storm. Brad Beal dropped a game-high 24 points, followed by 14 points from Roosevelt Jones and 12 points from Ben McLemore. Jalen Houston was the high man for the Storm with 13 points, while Alex Carr chipped in 10 points. The Mac Irvin Fire pulled out a close one against Team Florida (56-53). Wayne Blackshear went for 20 points while Mychael Henry added 14 points. 6'7 Chris Bryant and Will Cummings added 13 points apiece for Team Florida.

Later in the day, All-Ohio Red matched up with Each One Teach One, and although Austin Rivers was out with an injury, Trevor Lacy more than had his back. Lacy was virtually unguardable for much of the first half until a box and one slowed him down. However, by the second half, the damage had already been done, as Each One Teach One cruised to a 65-44 victory. Lacy led all scorers with 23 points. For All-Ohio, Stevie Taylor was the high man with 12 points, followed by Elijah Macon with 9 points, Nate Anderson with 8 points and Trey Burke with 6 points. King James notched a 64-57 win against Team Arizona later in the day. With Carlton Brundidge out with a concussion, The Family went down to Spiece (43-37) in their final game of league play (they played 3 games on Saturday). Marquis Teague was up to his old tricks as he orchestrated the action. Nic Moore paced Spiece with 17 points, followed by Teague with 12 points and 3 assists. For the family, Dominique Pointer led with 13 points, while Albert Lomomba and Desmond Barnes added 9 and 6 points, respectively. Get ready for the highlight videos of D-One's Quincy Miller, as I counted 6 video camaras trained on his every move in the Arkansas game. It's understandable why Miller has attracted so much attention (even John Wall was checking him out), he is simply dominating this spring. To see more event pictures, visit the Buckeye Prep Facebook Fan Page. Also, check out the article featuring several All-Ohio Red players.

Nike EYBL Session Three LA: Day One

From the spirited play going down in southern California on Saturday, it was easy to tell how bad teams wanted to win, and claim a spot in the season ending tournament at the Peach Jam in July. With one last chance to qualify for the league championship, players and coaches were much more serious about winning. Session #3 of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) tipped of at the Hanger Athletic Exchange (HAX) in Hawthorne, California and once again, the play was stellar. To qualify for the Peach Jam, a must attend for Nike-sponsored programs, teams must finish in the top 24 of at least fifth in their respective divisions. With only a handful of "at large bids," conference records are most important.

All-Ohio Red, coming off a tournament win at the All-Ohio Super Sixteen last weekend in Columbus, got off to a good start against a Carlton Brundidge-led The Family squad in the opening round of games. However, despite have a double-digit lead for most of the game, The Family came roaring back to make it a close contest. Trey Burke's three pointer with 3 seconds left in the game sealed the margin of victory, as All-Ohio held on the claim a 65-63 win. Burke paced All-Ohio with 19 points, followed by Elijah Macon with 14 points, Stevie Taylor with 11 points, George Fant with 7 points and Brandon Neel and Tommie McCune, both of whom added 6 points. For the Family, Michigan commit Carlton Brundidge led with 21 points, followed by Amir Williams and Desmond Barnes who both finished with 11 points.

Unlike last weekend when they rolled into Columbus without their starting back court and key player, the King James Shooting Stars had a full roster in LA. However, in their opening game of the weekend, King James fell to Seattle Rotary 63-59. Seattle was paced by super prospect Tony Wroten and Gonzaga pledge Gary Bell Jr., both of whom finished with 18 points. Anrio Adams added 12 points. King James was led by Zach Price and Jakarr Sampson who both finished with 15 points, and Marcus Crider who contributed 10 points. Although King James took the "L," the coaching staff has to be pleased with the play of 6'9 Zach Price, who appears to be getting better offensively every time out.

Right out of the gate, session three featured a turf war with a Drew Gooden Oakland Soldier versus California Supreme match-up on the #1 court. As if the game was not already hyped up enough, rumor had it that there was some trash talk preceding this game, as Cal. Supreme was declared "soft" by the Soldiers' Jabari Brown. From the size of the crowd surrounding the court, the trash talk must have been common knowledge. The Soldiers landed early shots, as took took a 43-29 lead into half-time. However, things tighten up in the second half as the two teams went at each other with both trading body blows and head shots while claiming their own share of highlight plays. At the end of the bout, the Soldiers was the top California team still standing, with a 74-72 victory. Jabari Bwron was his spectacular self, as he led all scorers with a game-high 24 points. In support, Nick Johnson finished with 15 points, followed by Josiah Turner (14 points) and Kile Wiltjer (7 points). 6'10 Kevin Johnson was the leading scorer for California Supreme with a team-high 18 points, followed by Ryan Anderson's 12 points and Jahil Carson's 11 points.

In the afternoon session, All-Ohio Red got off to another fast start, as they jumped all over Team Texas. Despite their early success, All-Ohio let down their guard, and allowed Team Texas to close the gap and make a game of it. In the end, All-Ohio was a little too tough for Texas, as they went on to win 81-77. Despite a slow start, Stevie Taylor got hot and went on to lead All-Ohio in scoring with 19 points, followed by Trey Burke (18 points), Elijah Macon (16 points), Tommie McCune (12 points), George Fant (8 points) and Brandon Neel (7 points). In the first 2 games of the day, the post play of Elijah Macon has been impressive. The 6'9 Macon has been very active around the cup and is making some big time plays. Michigan's Tommie McCune made a few "next level" plays of his own against Team Texas Elite. Team Texas Elite was paced by Shi Fields who dropped a team-high 19 points, followed by Kyan Anderson (17 points), Thomas Gipson (14 points) Jamal Branch (7 points) and Zach Price (8 points). I was most impressed with Gipson, who was a load down low and seemed to finish everything he touched. By days end, All-Ohio Red was sitting at 7-4, and in good position to qualify for the Peach Jam. Tomorrow, Red will face two of the top guards in the class, in Marquis Teague (Spiece) and Austin Rivers (Each 1 Teach 1).

Later in the day, King James continued their skid, with a 53-46 loss to the South Carolina Ravens. 6'7 Jerell Adams was the big dog for the Ravens as he finished with a game-high 19 points. Zach Price was still impressive and finished with a team-high 12 points. Jakarr Sampson added 10 points while Darious Carter contributed 7 points. Like King James, The Family finished 0-2 on the day, with a 61-59 loss to Team Takeover. The Family appeared to be leading for most of the game, but could not hold on to the lead. In fact, down 2 points with about 3 seconds left, Carlton Brundidge had a uncontested lay-up to tie the game, but could not convert. Brundidge finished with 13 points, followed by Desmond Barnes and Dominique Pointer who both finished with 12 points. Duke-bound Michael Gbinije led all scorers with 20 points, while 6'9 Mikael Hopkins added 15 points and 6'5 John Schoof finished with 12 points.

The Oakland Soldiers finished the day 2-0, with a 70-63 win over the Alabama Challenge. Nick Johnson finished with a game-high 16 points, followed by Josiah Turner (15 points), Brandon Ashley (14 points) and Jabari Brown (8 points). Levi Randolph and Rodney Cooper paced the Challenge with 15 points apiece, while Craig Sword contributed 10 points. The New Jersey Playaz remained unbeaten with 2 more wins on Saturday, the last one against the Arkansas Wings by a score of 73-65. The Southern Kings continue to struggle with two more losses on Saturday. To see the pictures I took at the event, visit the Buckeye Prep Facebook Fan Page.

All-Ohio Super Sixteen-Final Day

The final day of the All-Ohio Super Sixteen produced a few surprises and at least one significant upset. In the U-17 division, All-Ohio Red easily got by the D-Rose All-Stars 57-41 to advance to the semi-finals, where they would face Ed Lyshe's All-Ohio White squad. Against D-Rose, the leading scorers for Red were Trey Burke (14 points), Stevie Taylor (13 points), Elijah Macon (13 points), George Fant (10 points) and Brandon Neel (7 points). In their second game of the day, All-Ohio Red got off to a fast start and never really looked back, as they defeated All-Ohio White 69-49 to advance the the U-17 championship game. In the U-17 championship game, All-Ohio Red again got out of the gate quickly over a talented Eric Gordon-Fast Break team and never trailed in the contest. Red went on to defeat Eric Gordon 56-42 to claim their first tournament win of the season. Eric Gordon advanced to the championship game after getting by the King James Shooting Stars 38-28. All-Ohio Red was led in scoring by Trey Burke who finished with 14 points, followed by Stevie Taylor with 12 points, George Fant with 8 points and Elijah Macon who contributed 7 points. The tournament MVP was Trey Burke, and the All-Tournament Team consisted of Stevie Taylor, George Fant, Elijah Macon, Dominque Blackmon and Ryan Taylor.

U-16 Division

Orlando Berry's All-Ohio Purple squad continued their dominance in Columbus tournaments, as they defeated All-Ohio Gold 52-46 in the semi-finals, before dispatching Ferrari 63-52 in the championship game to claim the title. What was most impressive about the win was the fact that Purple was playing without their main stud Adolphus Washington who was out with a wrist injury. In the championship game, the leading scorers for All-Ohio were Josh Lemons who finished with a team-high 15 points, followed by Orlando Berry Jr. with 10 points and Dwayne Stanford who added 10 points. For Ferrari, the high man was Derrick Randolph who dropped a game-high 19 points and 5'11 Reggie Norris (Simeon HS) who finished with 15 points. I have to give props Derrick Randolph who was arguably the top performer for Ferrari in the games I watched. The 5'7 floor general from Whitney Young HS in Chicago was spectacular all weekend and was consistently the toughest and hardest working player on the court. Randolph is super quick and aggressive and can really score the ball. How Randolph failed to make the All-Tournament team was a big question among several observers. The tournament MVP was Tommie Kreyenhagen, and the All-Tournament Team consisted of Orlando Berry Jr., Josh Lemons, Jalean Lowe, Kevin Grayson and Curtis Jones.

U-15 Division

The U-15 division gave us the biggest upset of the tournament, as Randy Clarkson's All-Ohio Varsity White squad upset (54-51) a loaded All-Ohio Red in the championship game to grab the U-15 title. In case you wondered, All-Ohio Red had all of their top guys in the house (Loving, Hayes & Tucker), but a grittier All-Ohio Varsity White, made up of some players who did not make the Red team, continued their stealer play and pulled off the shocker of the tournament. To get to the championship game, All-Ohio Varsity knocked off Jason Benton's Playmakerz who had made a nice run in the tournament up until that point by beating some quality teams. It was reported that both Jaylen Benton and Donovan Wilson logged in good weekends for the Playmakerz. All-Ohio Red defeated TNBA Elite West in the semi-finals to advance to the championship game. The MVP was Reynoldsburg's Wendell Davis and the All-Tournament Team consisted of Jack Gibbs, Aaron Jackson, Randal Clarkson Jr., Marc Loving and Nigel Hayes.

U-14 Division

The 8th grade championship game pitted All-Ohio Red versus the New York's Westchester Hawks. Although I had to leave before the game ended, I know that All-Ohio Red overcame a first half deficit to get by a very talented Westchester Hawks team 55-52 to claim the U-14 championship. The tournament MVP was William Green, and the All-Tournament Team consisted of Austin Taylor, Jhustice Cornley, Airus Moore, Yhanni Bartley and Isiah Whitehead. To get the championship game, the Westchester Hawks knocked of the King James Shooting Stars 54-47 in a very spirited contest. In the game, Isiah Whiteside dominated with 27 points and Yhanni Bartley finished with 16 points. Standouts for King James were Robbie Bennard (11 points), Rel Woodridge (8 points) and Victor Dorsey (7 points). All-Ohio red defeated the West Virgina Wildcats 61-52 to advance to the championship game.

U-13 Division

As reported earlier, Buckeye Prep defeated Ohio Varsity 38-37 in the championship game to claim the U-13 title. The tournament MVP was Kevin "Sticks" Fisher, and the All-Tournament Team consisted of Isaac Anderson, Jalen Lewis, Chris Cook, Tyrone Cherry and Loyd Chatman. I want to take this opportunity to make special mention of a couple of players I watched on Sunday. Keep an eye out Jalen Lewis, who continues to develop as a quality point guard. I was also very impressed with Ohio Varsity's Tyrone Cherry, who has several tools and a chance to be special should he continue to work on his game. I saw some good things with Loyd Chatman's game as well. He appeared to skilled with the rock and poised for his age. Also, Kevin Fisher continues to get better every time I see him. Mansfield's Trey Avery is another young player to watch. To see more pictures of the event, visit the Buckeye Prep Facebook Fan Page. To check out the ESPN article on the event click on the highlighted link.