NYBL Session III Top Performers Announced

Jeremiah Francis-Session III MVP

Now that the NYBL Finals are in the books, one of the last remaining pieces of business is the release of the Session III Top Performers List. Headlining the list as the Session MVP is Ohio Select’s Jeremiah Francis.  Over the course of 6 games in Columbus, Francis scored a total of 75 points for an average of 12.5 points per game, including a game-high 27 points against the South Caroline Hornets. Not only did Francis put up big numbers, he grabbed a ton of rebounds for a point guard. Although Francis’ stats clearly support this honor, his clutch performances in several big games easily tips the scale in his favor.

Joining Francis with 1st Team honors are: North Carolina’s Chaz Gwyn; Deron Williams Elite’s Tyrese Maxey; Southern Stampede’s Christopher Hinton; and South Carolina’s Juwan Gary. 2nd Team recipients include: Trent Brown (Arizona Monsoon); Scottie Lewis (Garden City All-Stars; Danario Edgar II (Future Phenoms); Gerard Reynolds (Ohio Select); and Tyler Brelsford (ETU Select).

Next up will be the release of the list of players selected to participate the NYBL All-Star game which will be held in conjunction with the Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase currently scheduled for September 21^st and 22^nd in Columbus, Ohio. The initial list will be emailed to coaches, and it will be their responsibility to communicate with the parents to confirm participation. After that, the confirmed list will be published. Below is a link to the complete list of the session III top performers.

Session III Top Performers

Micah Lancaster Camp Comes to Ohio

I’m always asked about recommending quality basketball camps in Ohio. Well, Micah Lancaster, one of the top basketball trainers in the country, in conjunction with Evan Turner and the Buckeye Prep Report, will be holding a week-long camp in Columbus the week of June 17th-20th at the USA Sports Academy for grades 4th-12th. This is a high intensity skills camp designed to get kids better! Although the entry fee is ordinarily $300.00, the Buckeye Prep Report has negotiated a special rate of $250.00 (the promo code is BUCKEYEPREP). For more camp details see the information below.

CAMP DETAILS

WHO: BOYS AND GIRLS, 4TH GRADE THRU 12TH GRADE

WHERE: USA SPORTS ACADEMY, 4185 EAST 5TH AVENUE, COLUMBUS, OHIO 43215

DATE: JUNE 17-20, 2013 – MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

DIRECTOR: MICAH LANCASTER WILL BE THERE FOR THE ENTIRE CAMP

CAMP TIMES: 10AM UNTIL 4PM EACH DAY

EARLY DROP-OFF: AS EARLY AS 8:45 AM EACH DAY

LUNCH: PLAYERS MAY BRING THEIR OWN LUNCH OR HAVE THE OPTION TO PURCHASE LUNCH

WHAT TO BRING: PLAYERS NEED TO BRING THEIR OWN BALL & A NOTEBOOK

PROMO CODE TO USE IS: BUCKEYEPREP

This is no ordinary NBA “Autograph” camp. This camp will be the same intense training Evan Turner and other NBA players receive from NBA Skills Coach Micah Lancaster. Better yet, players will be able to witness Evan Turner’s work ethic through his own live training!

CAMP WEBSITE PAGE
CAMP YOUTUBE LINK
ABOUT I'M POSSIBLE TRAINING

Burn-Out” to “Drop-Out

Below is the second article in a series of articles written by Dr. Kenneth Ransom, all designed to provide our readers with valuable information about the health of their children. Look for future articles about other health-related topics.

“Burn-Out” to “Drop-Out”

The 2012-2013 basketball season is coming to an end, the tournaments are over except for AAU Nationals. But not to worry, summer leagues have already started. “Suit up son! We need to get started on the 2013-2014 season.” Many athletes will begin to focus on one sport by the time they reach adolescence, especially in a sport like basketball that requires year around participation to stay competitive. These kids are at risk for burn out.

Burn out has been referred to as “overtraining syndrome” when the player becomes fatigued from too rigorous a schedule and not enough rest. Even though physical exhaustion and overuse injuries may contribute to burn-out; it is the underlying psychological devaluation of the sport and reduced sense of accomplishment that can ultimately make a player drop out. Signs to watch for include 1) less enthusiasm for the sport often associated with complaining about the time and energy to participate, 2) increase in physical complaints of injury or illness and 3) a noticeable reduction in performance during practice and games. There are things that can be done to combat burn-out and hopefully prevent the player from eventually dropping out of the sport.

People in general and young athletes in particular have three basic psychological needs to maintain a mental state of well-being. They must feel competent that they are able to do a good job. It is also important that they feel some autonomy to make choices, and enjoy a sense of self-directedness. And lastly, relatedness or identity, as a perception of connectedness with others such as parents, friends and coaches. Conversely, the thwarting of these needs can lead to a sense of ill-being and disenchantment with the sport, possibly resulting in the player dropping out.

COMPETENCE: The player needs to feel confident about his ability to play the sport. Competence is more than just physical traits and skill level. General health with good nutrition along with adequate amounts of rest will enhance the player’s performance and general sense of well-being. Injuries from overtraining or inadequate warm-up prior to playing can also impair performance. Good performance leads to more confidence that in turn results in continued improved performance and ultimately an enhanced feeling of competence in the sport.

AUTONOMY: Even though coaches and dads usually know what’s necessary to become a great player, the player needs to feel that he has some say in what goes on in his life. This is particularly true for adolescent boys that are transitioning into manhood. A young player can feel entrapped when he has no control. This can lead to resentment and eventually disenchantment with the sport. It is better to educate and convince the player of the value of their sports activity rather than simply dictating to them. They must develop their own self-motivation and inspiration in order to become great.

RELATEDNESS: It is critical that a young athlete feels that other important people in his life have a positive perception of him as a basketball player. This is an important part of his identity. Are his parents supportive? Are the coaches positive? Does he like his teammates and do they like him? Do his friends give him value as an athlete? These perceptions are especially important to adolescents.

Participating at an elite level in sport involves much pressure and stamina. The type of kid that can achieve this level of performance and dedication is preparing himself to succeed in whatever he chooses to do in life. It is very important that the sport experience remains a positive influence and that he not only develops his physical abilities but also matures psychologically as well. Some degree of “burn out” is probably inevitable but the key is to be aware of underlying causes and manifestations seen in the player then work on reducing those negative influences that can create disenchantment with the sport and possibly dropping out altogether.

by Dr. Kenneth Ransom

Ohio Hoopsters Take Summer Showdown Crown

Ohio Hoopsters-Summer Showdown Champions

Although small in numbers (15 teams), the inaugural Buckeye Prep Summer Showdown saw no shortage of talent, as the first year event drew most of top 7th grade teams in the state of Ohio. In fact, of Buckeye Prep’s top 20 ranked teams, 12 of them were in action at the USA Sports Academy in Columbus this weekend, including a very good Upstate Warriors team from South Carolina. Some teams say they want to play the best competition they can find, and some teams actually do it! For the teams in this event, they got what they were looking for, and then some.

As expected, there were some significant upsets as well as some surprise performances from teams and individual players. I guess I should start by congratulating Lamonte Tillman and his Ohio Hoopsters squad for being the last team standing on Sunday with their 39-35 win over Team Excel in the championship game. With their win on Sunday, the Hoopsters will ascend to the top of our rankings when we revise them in a couple of days. Although I did not get the opportunity to concentrate on the game, from what I saw, it was a very competitive contest that was up for grabs until the final seconds ran out on the game.

MVP & All-Tournamnt Team

Ty Wiley led the Hoopsters with 11 points, followed by Juan Elmore who added 8. Isaiah Speelman finished off a great weekend for Excel with a team-high 11 points. Tournament MVP honors went to Juan Elmore, and the All-Tournament Team included: Cory Baker, David Madison, Dane Goodwin and Isaiah Speelman.

The Queen City Prophets had a tough weekend, finishing 0-3 in pool play with losses to Team Excel, King James and Murphy AC, then getting bounced in the Elite 8 by the Hoopsters (47-36). Obviously, without Kane Cooper, arguably the top PG in the state, QCP is simply not the same team that had a strangle hold on the #1 ranking for most of the season. King James struggled as well with 2 losses in pool play to Team Excel and rival Murphy AC, then a crushing 59-51 loss in the Elite 8 to All-Ohio Red. The Shining Stars went 1-2 in pool play with losses to the Hoopsters and All-Ohio Red, and then were knocked out of the tournament by Team Excel in the Elite 8 (48-37).

Team Excel-Runner-Ups

I have to give props to Coach Jeff Blackwell and his All-Ohio team who had a very respectable showing this past weekend. They played everybody tough, made it to the Elite 8, and are clearly getting better from week to week. Buckeye Prep and Ohio Unity both finished 2-1 in pool play, but Unity advanced to the Elite 8 with a 55-42 win over Another Level, while Prep lost to the Shining Stars 51-32 in the Sweet 16.

Cleveland’s Another Level opened some eyes this weekend and impressed some folks with their overall talent (finished 2-1 in pool play), and Damon Stringer’s Mr. Basketball Academy got 2 pool play wins before King James got them in the first round of bracket play (60-33). All-in-all, it was a great weekend of basketball. In addition, the fact the event was in the same gym as the NYBL only enhanced the buzz and the big time feel of the event.

Bracket Play Results

NYBL Finals-Results

Ohio Select-2013 NYBL Champions

The inaugural season of the National Youth Basketball League (NYBL) is almost in the books (except for the NYBL All-Star Game in September), and the feedback from the finals this past weekend in Columbus has been overwhelmingly positive! Of course it helps when you have some juicy upsets; and then the league’s 2 top teams hook up in the championship game for an epic rematch. The three month, 3 session NYBL concluded with the championship game Sunday afternoon with a rematch between the undefeated and #1 ranked North Carolina Preps and the #2 ranked Ohio Select.  As most of our readers will recall, North Carolina knocked Ohio Select from the ranks of the undefeated during the league’s second session in North Augusta, GA. in May. 

As expected, the game was close from the opening tip. Like a heavy weight prize fight, both teams took turns throwing head shots and trading body blows. During the game, both teams shared the lead at times, but by the half, Preps was up 31-25. By the end of the 3^rd quarter, Ohio had erased the deficit and was up 40-35. For the most part, North Carolina appeared to control the game for more minutes and seemed to be on their way to the championship into the 4^th quarter.  However, Ohio Select role players came up  with a couple of big shots, which coupled with a heavy dose of pressure late gave Ohio the late push they needed to get the 51-41 win and the first ever NYBL championship. Gerard Reynolds was big for Ohio and led all scorers with 12 points, followed by Jordan Mitchell with 11 and Jeremiah Francis with 9 points. Chaz Gwyn paced North Carolina with 15 points followed by Kobe Langley with 8. MVP honors went to Reynolds, and the All-Tournament Team included: Greg Tribble, Chris’Seon Stringer, Chaz Gwyn and Keyshawn Langley.

North Carolina Preps-Runner-ups

In the semi-finals, Ohio Select had to get by a hot Deron Williams Elite who was coming off a big win at the Nolo Super 60 the previous week, and whom many thought might have had a shot at the upset. Although Deron Williams was still fighting late in the game (the score was 49-42 with 3:32 left), Ohio Select proved to be too tough, and would go on to get the 54-45 victory and advance. Leading scorers in the game were Gerard Reynolds and Jeremiah Francis for Ohio Select with 11 points each, and Rese Maxey and Chris Harris Jr. for Deron Williams with 20 and 12 points, respectively. Ohio’s trek to the final game included wins over the S.C. Hornets (55-50) in the Elite 8 and a Sweet 16 win over the New York Gauchos/HOS (78-48). North Carolina Prep’s road to the championship included an easy 59-27 win over the Arizona Monsoon in the second semi-final game; a 74-37 victory over Future Phenoms in the Elite 8, and a 59-31 win against the Arkansas Soldierz in the Sweet 16.

Deron Williams Elite-3rd Place

I have to mention the Southern Stampede vs S.C. Hornets match-up early Sunday. This was one of the better games of the weekend and featured 2 of the league’s better teams. Because these 2 teams played in the league’s South division, this was the first time they got a chance to go head to head. Southern Stampede got the 47-45 win to advance to the 5^th/6^th place game where they later defeated Future Phenoms (61-57). Chris Hinton exploded for a game-high 18 points for Stampede, while Juwan Gary went for a team-high 16 points for the Hornets. It should be noted that later, Hinton dropped 33 points in the Future Phenom game to lead all scorers, and Tyron Henry led Phenoms with 20 points and Jarvis Johnson added 15.

The league’s order of finish is as follows: 1^st-Ohio Select; 2^nd-Carolina Preps; 3^rd-Deron Williams Elite; 4^th-Arizona Monsoon; 5^th-Southern Stampede; 6^th-Future Phenoms; 7^th-S.C. Hornets; 8^th-Team Rio Elite; 9^th-Garden City All-Stars; 10^th-6^th Man Warriors; 11^th-ETU Select; 12^th-Gauchos/HOS; 13^th-Carolina Chaos;-14^th-Team Izod/Sports U; 15th-Arkansas Soldierz; 16^th-Metro Flyers; 17^th-New Heights; 18^th-Upstate Warriors; 19^th-MJ Mavericks; 20^th-Murphy AC; 21^st-Enplay Elite; 22^nd-WV Xplosion; 23^rd-Truth Basketball.

NYBL MVP & All-Tournament Team

As good as the inaugural season was for the NYBL, season two promises to be even better, as the league will expand to two, 32-team divisions (2019 & 2020) and will include a 4^th session.  The 4^th session is slated to be somewhere out west. Next up for the league will be the NYBL All-Star Game which will feature the league’s top 40 players in a “Top 20” and “Top 40” all-star game which will be held in conjunction with the Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase in Columbus, Ohio the weekend of September 21^st and 22^nd. The games will serve as another platform for the league as well as another excellent exposure opportunity for our players. The all-star selections will be published over the next several weeks. Thanks to all of the players, coaches, parents and fans that helped make the NYBL a great success this year!!

Final Order of Finish

Full Bracket Play Results.

Championship Highlight Video

NYBL Finals Photo Gallery #1

NYBL Finals Photo Gallery #2

Middle School Hoops Article

Summer Showdown-Day I Report

Buckeye Prep vs Ohio Unity

As expected, day one of the Buckeye Prep Summer Showdown was complete with close games, overtime thrillers and upset victories.  The event’s first upset occurred in the opening game, as the number 10^th ranked Buckeye Prep took on number 11^th ranked Ohio Unity. The game was close early and by halftime, Buckeye Prep was up 25-20. Buckeye Prep scored first to start the second period on a Chase Rankin lay-up. Although Prep led throughout the second half, Ohio Unity continued to chip away at the lead, and about the 3 minute mark they went on a run that eventually tied the game at 32 with 1:30 left. A Seth Goodson jumper put Prep back in front 34-32 at the 1:04 mark, but 2 Ohio Unity free throws knotted the game at 34. With less than a minute left in the contest, Prep had the ball, failed to convert a baseline jumper, and Unity went down and scored to pull ahead 36-34. At that point, Prep had to commit fouls, and Ohio Unity hit their freebies and held on to get the 37-40 win.  Dylan Beaugard led Ohio Unity with 12 points, while Seth Goodson paced Buckeye Prep with 13 points.

Jeff Blackwell’s All-Ohio Red squad found themselves in a dog fight with Lamonte Tillman’s Ohio Hoopsters early Friday night. From what I could tell, the Hoopsters led the entire game, and were up 31-21 at the half. At one point the Hoopsters were running away with it, but All-Ohio battled back and cut the lead to 53-58 with less than a minute left, but that’s as close as they would get as that was final score. Juan Elmore was the leading scorer for the Hoopsters with 15 points, followed by David Madison with 11. Jamil Goliday had a monster game in a losing effort with 24 points followed by Jimmy Weirick with 15 points.

Cleveland’s Another Level and the Lima Area Lakers found themselves in a brawl on Friday night.  I did not catch much of the game, but I know Lima mostly controlled the game, but Another Level came on late to close the gap. By the end of the game, Another Level was up by 1 point (43-42). KeShun Jones led Another Level with 14 points.

Gene Higgens-5'7 PG

The best game of the night pitted the #1 ranked team in the state, Team Excel against the #4 ranked Murphy AC. This was one of the best played games I’ve watched all season and was played at very high level. Neither team led by more than a few points the entire game. In fact, at the half, Team Excel was up 30-29. The second half was much like the first, a seesaw battle for the lead as both teams hit big shots to claim stake to the lead. With only 2:48 left in the game, the score was tied at 46-46, and with 50 tics remaining, it still knotted at 50. By the time the horn sounded, Murphy AC had unseated the newly crowned # 1 ranked team in Ohio 55-50. Murphy AC’s Gene Higgens went for a team-high 15 points, followed by Coryon Rice with 10.  Isaiah Speelman was the high man for Team Excel with 15 points followed by Dane Goodwin with 14.

 Day I Photo Gallery