Buckeye Hoopfest: Early Look

The July evaluation period began on Tuesday and for the first time I can remember, Columbus, Ohio hosted a "live" event where D-I college coaches could be in attendance. Over the course of the 3-day event, college coaches from across the country can be found at Ohio Dominican University for this first-year event. Because this is the first year for the Buckeye Hoopfest, and the event had to compete with more established events like the Adidas Invitational and the LeBron James Skills Academy, the overall numbers were low (about 34 teams in 3 divisions). With that said, there were a few very talented teams as well as several high major players participating in the tournament. Oh yea, there were a number of college coaches in the house, including Mick Cronin (Cincinnati), Tom Crean (Indiana), Buzz Peterson (Marquette) and Richmond's Chris Mooney.In the 20-team U-17 division, the top teams appeared to be All-Ohio Red, St. Louis Gameface, West Virgina Wildcats, Team CBIZ, and YAACCE (Canada). The U-16 division (8 teams) boasted top teams such as 4-Deep (really All-Ohio Red), Team CBIZ, Team Toledo and Drill 4 Skills (PA), and in the 6-team U-15 division, the West Virgina Wildcats were the top team. During the first 2 days of the event, the top teams rolled. All-Ohio Red kicked off the tournament with a 65-56 win over Drills 4 Skills. In that game, Trey Burke was the high man with a game-high 21 points. Elijah Macon and George Fant added 14 and 12 points, respectively. For Drills 4 Skills, Michael Lambert scored a team-high 13 points and Matt Polo finished with 12 points. All-Ohio, playing without Stevie Taylor who is out with a calf injury, got by XBA 67-41. The St. Louis Gameface, led by supper hot BJ Young, began Friday with a 58-47 win over Ohio's Friends 4 Life. Gameface won their second game but was tripped up in game 3 by Columbus' Hidden Gems to finish 2nd in their pool. The West Virgina Wildcats finished 3-0 in pool play with wins over All-Ohio Swag (76-53), Team CBIZ (79-68) and a 63-56 nail bitter against Team CBIZ. Playing well for the Wildcats were Chase Fischer and Treavon Jackson. YAACCE finished pool play 3-0 with wins over All-Ohio Force, College Bound and the Columbus Storm. The Buckeye Ballers won their pool with victories over Humongous Columbus Force, MAC Ohio and the 2012 West Virgina Wildcats. One of the best games of Saturday involved Hidden Gems versus an Anton Grady-led Friends 4 Life. Although the scrapper Hidden Gems squad got a quick start, Friends 4 Life fought their way back to tie the game at 27 by halftime, then pulled away late to claim a hard fought 69-62 win. Jazzell Garrett paced Friends with 16 points and Anton Grady finished with 12 points. Gahanna's Trey Warr led Hidden Gems with 21 points. In the U-16 division, Victor Dandridge's 4 Deep squad cruised through pool play with wins over Team CBIZ, Team Toledo and the Dayton C-Hawks. For the final results, visit the tournament website at http://www.buckeyehoopfest.com.

Buckeye Prep Sponsors Girls 8th Grade Team

For the first time this year, Buckeye Prep will sponsor a girls summer basketball team. In an effort to support Scott McGlade's 8th grade middle school team; Buckeye Prep welcomes the opportunity to "give back" to those who have supported our efforts. Pictured are (from left to right): Coach Scott McGlade, Nikki Blevins, Tanner Miley, Alyssa Tedesco, Taylor McGlade, Erin Simko, Caroline Mead and Megan Sengelmann. Not pictured are Katie Padavick and Christina Koutras. The entire team is made up of girls from Jones and Hastings Middle Schools in Upper Arlington. McGlade's team has been working hard and will play their first of 3 tournaments in mid-July at Ohio Northern University. To see pictures of the girls visit the Buckeye Prep Facebook Fan Page.

Gahanna Lincoln Repeats as OSU Team Camp Champions

For the second day in the row, Gahanna Lincoln played their way into the championship game of the Ohio State Team Camp, and for the second day in a row the Lions finished 4-0 to claim the championship. Day two of the Ohio State Team Camp featured another 16-team/day-long tournament with 8 new teams. The second day participants included: Toledo St. Johns, Fairfield Union, Chillicothe, Patrick Henry, DeSales (varsity & JV), Walnut Ridge, Upper Arlington, Whetstone, Toledo Central Catholic, Westerville North, New Castle, Massillon Jackson, Gahanna Lincoln and Northrop (IN).

Gahanna began day #2 of the camp with a match up with Indiana's Northrop in storied St. Johns Arena (Pictured). With the OSU coaching staff on hand to watch Briceon Scott, an elite 2013 prospect, the Lion's Stevie Taylor led Gahanna to an early 12-2 lead. Although Gahanna led the entire contest, Scott kept Northrop in striking distance until late in the second half. By the time the horn sounded, Gahanna was 1-0 after claiming a 62-76 win. Stevie Taylor finished with a game-high 35 points while Briceon Scott finished with about 30+ points as well. Game two for Gahanna featured a rematch of the Ohio High School State Final Four game with Massillon Jackson. Although the stakes were not as high as they were last March, the Lions were excited about the opportunity to get another shot at the Polar Bears. Gahanna got of to a quick start with back-to-back treys and entered halftime with a 35-26 lead. In the second half, Jackson mounted a ferocious comeback on the strength Steve Griffin's hot shooting and poor free throw shooting by the Lions. In the end, Gahanna held on to win 68-63. Although Stevie Taylor finished with a team-high 17 points, Jamel Morris and Jordan Martin were big factors in the win. In game three, Gahanna dispatched Toledo Central Catholic 59-45. In the championship game, the Lions faced off against a hot Walnut Ridge. Playing without Stevie Taylor who sustained a calf injury in the semi-finals, Walnut Ridge jumped out to an early 11-0 lead, and appeared poised for a lopsided win. However, Gahanna, sparked by their reserves, cut the lead to 3 points (22-25) by the half. In the second half, Gahanna took their first lead with 14 minutes left in the game. Although Walnut Ridge enjoyed a significant size advantage in the post, a breakout game from senior Jamel Morris propelled Gahanna to a 53-42 victory and their second championship of the weekend.

To get to the championship game, Walnut Ridge knocked off Columbus DeSales, beat Upper Arlington 56-48, and held on to to defeat Toledo St. Johns 53-51. Throughout the day, Walnut Ridge got consistent play from Austin Traylor, Dwayne Bazemore and 6'7 Alssand Kah. For Toledo St. Johns, playing with out Cheatum Norrils who was attending a football camp at Michigan State, received solid play from Marc Loving. To see pictues of day two, visit the Buckeye Prep Facebook Fan Page. To check out Kurt Stubs' story on the event click on the link.

Gahanna Lincoln Wins Day-One Championship At OSU Team Camp

Fifteen teams participated in the first day of the 2010 Ohio State Team Camp and at the end of the day, the Gahanna Lincoln Lions were crowned champions. This year's format was a bit different than in years past, as all 15 teams were placed in a championship bracket and played until they lost. The teams that participated in day-one included: Toledo St. Johns, Columbus Whetstone, Broad Ripple (IN), Westerville North, Chillicothe, Watkins Memorial, Gahanna Lincoln, Mt. Vernon (IN), Garfield Heights, Pickerington North, Massilon Jackson, Bellefontaine, Upper Arlington, Africentric, and Huber Heights Wayne. Canton Timken was supposed to round out the 16-team field but they were a no show.

On their trek to the championship game, Gahanna defeated Mt. Vernon (IN), Chillicothe, Toledo St. Johns and Huber Heights Wayne. In the Mt. Vernon game, the much quicker and more athletic Lions got out to a quick start, before entering half time up 28-16. At one point in the second half, Gahanna was up as much as 26 points. The final score was 62-31. In game #2 on the main floor of Value City Arena, Gahanna destroyed Chillicothe 87-48. In that game, Stevie Taylor's game-high 23 points was the difference. Also playing well for Gahanna were Trey Ware, a transfer from Reynoldsburg, and sophomore Aaron Jackson. Chillicothe's Malik London's primary contribution included 6 blocked shots. Game #3 pitted Gahanna against Toledo St. Johns, a team who had beaten the Lions by 12 points a week earlier at a shootout in Toledo (without Taylor or Ware). Although Toledo raced to an early lead, the Lions were able to close the lead to four points by halftime (22-26). Gahanna tied the game at 35 midway through the second half and took the lead for the first time with 2 minutes left in the contest. Gahanna went on to win 50-43. Stevie Taylor led all scorers for Gahanna, while Cheatum Norrils led St. Johns.

The championship game featured a rematch from last season, as Gahanna sought to duplicate the success they had against Wayne in a holiday tournament last December. With added motivation from last season's loss, Wayne got out of the gates quickly and posted a double digit lead at one point in the first half. However, Gahanna made a late run to close the halftime lead to 30-27. The Lions opened the second half with much more energy and took the lead (33-32) with 16 minutes left in the second half. Gahanna would never relinquish the lead and went on to claim the 66-60 win. For Wayne, Travis Trice got hot from beyond the arc, hitting 6 treys, and dropping a game-high 32 points, while Marcus Crider added 15 points. Gahanna was paced by Stevie Taylor's 13 points.

Wayne's path to the championship game included wins over Africentric, Upper Arlington (40-45) and Pickerington North (48-50). It was never really a contest against Arficentric, as Huber Heights led early and was ahead 40-18 by the time I left at halftime. It was evident very early in the game that Wayne was too talented and too deep for an over matched Nubians squad. It was also obvious that Wayne excels in transition and has multiple guys who can run and score. In game two, Wayne found themselves in a dog fight with Upper Arlington, and in fact, was trailing at halftime 24-19. To start the second half, Wayne turned up the defensive pressure and took the lead for the final time with 13 minutes left in the game. UA's Brian Sullivan was the high man with 13 points. For Wayne, Marcus Crider finished with 10 points while Travis Trice added 7 points. In the semi-final game against Pickerington North (this game got a little chippy early), Wayne trailed for most of the game. Tied at 48 with 6 seconds left in the game, Travis Trice received an inbounded pass and drove the length of the floor for a layup and the 50-48 win. To see pictures of day one of the event, visit the Buckeye Prep Facebook Fan Page.

5th Annual Celtic Basketball Classic: Sunday

With the spring travel season in the books, and the top high school prospects running with their high school squads, I took some time out to check out the Sunday action and Gary Lacrone's 5th Annual Celtic Basketball Classic in Dublin, Ohio. Although the Ohio Youth Basketball Tournament fielded 55 teams in seven grade divisions (4th-11th), I set out to check out some of the younger guys this time around.

I had a chance to catch a 6th grade semi-final game between Scott Bradley's New Birth Warriors and the Dayton Sharpshooters. In that game, Bradley's top guys (Jalani Rogers and DJ Tyree) were doing their usual thing, but the Sharpshooters point guard really caught my eye. Dayton's David Rowlands was a handful for the Warriors all game, as he relentlessly attacked the cup and finished. The heady guard scored in a variety of ways including a floater, pull-up and a nice little step back jumper. The little floor general was skilled, has a nice handle and already possesses a nice stroke. Although I have watched New Birth play on a number of occasions, I had a chance to check out the Warriors' Kyran McClure for the first time, and I liked what I saw. McClure, a lefty and a slasher, brings good size and an active motor to the table. For the record, Bradley's Warriors lost to the USA Panthers, a team they had beaten handily the day before, in the championship game. At the end of the day, despite having made an 18-7 late-game run, the Warriors could not overcome an early deficit and ended up losing to the Panthers by about 3 points.

As I sat and watched a 4th grade game against Court Vision and OYSP, I became more and more impressed with the point guards on each team. For OYSP, keep an eye out for Columbus' Ty Wiley, who displayed a game beyond his years. This little guy was seriously ballin, while making play after play! The kid handles the ball well and is already packing a handful of nice dribble moves. Wiley did a great job of attacking the cup and finishing, but he also shot the ball very well. Not to be out done was Court Vision's Julian Malone who was a one man wrecking crew. Like Wiley, the kid's game was advanced. Not only was Malone very skilled and aggressive, his decision making was impressive. Also, RNB's Paul Jones played well in the limited time I watched him play, as he logged in time with both RNB and the 6th grade New Birth Warriors. Congratulations to RNB for claming the 4th grade championship! To see pictures of the event, visit the Buckeye Prep Facebook Fan Page.

Ohio Dominican to Host Day Camp

Head Coach Artie Taylor and his staff will be holding their annual summer basketball day camp on June 21st-24th here in Columbus, Ohio. Each day of the camp will begin at 9:00am and end at 4:00. The registraton fee for the camp is $185 and includes a lunch, camp t-short and a basketball. For more information about the camp contact at 614-251-4533 or Taylora2@ohiodominican.edu .