New Names Emerge From BPR Elite Showcase II

The fall edition of the Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase II attracted some of the top young talent in Ohio. In total, 135 middle and high school ballers made their way to Gahanna Lincoln High School in suburban Columbus, Ohio on Sunday to participate in the second elite showcase of the year. As is the case in every Buckeye Prep event, prominent scouting services were on hand to evaluate the talent. ESPN and Prep Spotlight's John Stovall, and JJ Huddle/Ohio High School Hoops' Kurt Stubbs II were a few of the faces in the crowd. Mix tape artist Ty Kish was there all day compiling footage for more of his highlight tape magic. Although their were a number of showcase veterans in the house, a few newcomers burst on the scene. Although I will list the all-star game participants in later articles, I did want to highlight a few players who really stood out at the event. In the 9/10th grade division, Westerville North's Jack Gibbs III may have been the top player at the event. Gibbs, a 5'10 sophomore combo guard, displayed a "complete" game which included a heavy dose of scoring, defending, distributing the rock and simply playing hard. The kid just keeps getting better. Columbus East's Marvin Thomas arrived at the showcase late and barely made it in; however, we squeezed him in and he made the most of the opportunity by playing his way onto the all-star game, including a Top 5 Award. Standing 6'2, the 2013 prospect showed a great deal of athleticism and the ability to score the ball. Westerville North had a second standout performer in Darren Nettles, a 5'10 combo guard. Although he was not selected in the Top 5, the general consensus from many observers in the gym, he had a good day. Although they were playing against sophomores, a few freshman played their way into the all-star game. Gahanna's Manual Powell and Bishop Hartley's Chris Moxley went head-to-head with the big boys and more than handled their own. In fact, Moxley was a Top 5 Award winner. The other all-star selectees included: Aaron Jackson, Crisshawn, Will Hill Jr., Declan Feery, Ronnie Williams, Matt Gump, Adrian Cook, Nick Deitsch, DeVon Price, Evan Bailey and Jalen Rhea. In addition, Cincinnati's Adam Gigax, Indiana's John Roberts and Terry Cook all deserve some ink for collecting one of the 5 Special Awards given out at the event.

The 8th grade division had its fair share of top performers, including 6'6 big man Nate Fowler from Cincinnati. Fowler was easily one of the top post players at the event, and he has a real good chance of being a long term post prospect. Following in the foot steps of his older brother Travis, Huber Heights' D'mitirk Trice established himself as one of the top floor generals at the event. Like his older sibling, Trice has a great skill set and a high basketball IQ. I also really like the poise and skill package of Jea'von McClain, a strong 5'2 PG from Aurora, Ohio. The kid's game just seemed a bit more advanced than his opponents. In terms of guard play, Kyle Stergis, a 5'3 point guard from Shaker Heights is strong with the ball, makes good decisions, caught the eye of the scouts in attendance. Kevin "Sticks" Fischer, a 6'4 center from Columbus had a good day, as did Dayton's Asante Patterson and Huber Height's Isiah Fairley. Fairley, a 6'3 swing man, has a nice frame, a high motor and showed he can knock down the mid-range shot. The other all-star selectees included: Jeavon Peterson, Cameron Fails, Trevon Baker, LaMonte Stone Jr., Brad Smith, Tyrone Cheery, Andrew Franscesconi, Chris Oakley, Cord'e Donald, Caleb Harris, Nick Ward, Xeyrius Williams and Jalen Lewis. Although he just missed making the all-star game, Afrocentric's Tony Anderson, a 6'4 PF made enough noise to win one of 5 Special Awards.

Although the 6/7th grade division was the smallest in terms of numbers, there was no shortage of talent. Arguably the top player in the division was 7th grader Hunter Lampley. Not only did Lampley's stellar play earn him a spot in the all-star game, he led that team to a win, on the way to Top 5 honors. Remember this kid's name, he could be a good one. Right behind him was Westerville's Jelani Rogers who put up a couple of 20 point plus games in league play. A crowd favorite, Rogers has a lot of tricks in the bag and can get you buckets. I have to mention Cincinnati's Rashaad Ali-Shakir, a 7th grader who has played consistently when ever we have seen him play. Ali-Shakir is a skilled PG with a solid handle and a good feel for the game. Kiston Branson, a 5'6 wing guard from Lansing, Michigan was a steam roller who used a strength and aggression to get to the cup and score. Branson was simply stronger and more determined than most of the other kids and he used his gifts to grab Top 5 honors in the all-star game. Also, special mentioned goes out to Justin Roberts, who as the only 6th grader, played his way to Top 5 honors. You might also want to keep an eye on David Dials Jr. from Cleveland. Like his older cousin Carl "Tay Tay" Jones, Dials has a lot of skill at a young age. Although he is just a 4th grader, Dials did not back down from the older player, and for his efforts he received 1 of five Special Awards. The other all-star selectees included: Erron James, Justin Roberts, Mitch Weber, Marcus Dempsey, Devin Taylor, Jake Fisher, Corey Benton, Mitch Peterson, Drew Helweger, Hershey Green, Matthew Moyer, Blake Bickett, PJ Jones, Seth Towns, David Rowlands and Ariuos Spears. To see the pictures I took at the event, visit the Buckeye Prep Facebook Fan Page. Also, click on the highlighted link to view Kurt Stubb's post event report , and re-visit this site to view multiple highlight mix videos from Ty Kish. Check out the latest mix tape.

Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase II

Tentative rosters, team assignments, game schedule and showcase rules were emailed out to everyone on my email list today. If you have registered your child/player and did not receive the emailed information, call (614-203-2929) or email Taylorobe@aol.com) me ASAP and I will send you the material. Please check the comment section below to review the copy of the email I sent out. The location of the event has been moved to Gahanna Lincoln High School located at 140 S. Hamilton Rd. Gahanna, Ohio 43230. Please have your child/player report between 7:45am and 8:45am on Sunday morning. Game will start at 9:15am. To view the Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase rosters, game schedule and showcase rules, click on the Jr. All-American Camp link.

Ohio Players Set To Attend Lucas Camp

The Buckeye Prep Report had the opportunity to recommend some of the Buckeye State's top young ballers for John Lucas' Midwest Invitational Camp, currently scheduled for October 2 & 3rd in Louisville, Kentucky. Lucas, a former NBA star, has held his International Combine in Houston, Texas for many years, but is now taking his show on the road to reach the masses. The 2-day event should feature a number of the nation's top players in a very competitive atmosphere. In addition to the Buckeye Prep Report, Hoop Scoop's Clark Francis will be on hand to evaluate the campers. For more information click on the highlighted link or email John Lucas at Jlucas@mail.org.

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.