Buckeye Prep Alums Dominate Prep Hoops Ohio’s All-Freshman Teams

Y. Hill, D. Cohill, D. Goodwin, I. Speelman, J. Cravaack, EJ Williams, D. Beaugard, C. Davis & R. Ryan

Recently, our good friends at Prep Hoops Ohio published a list of their Ohio All-Freshman Teams.  As we suspected, a number of Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase alumni made the list, including the entire “First Team!” Because the Buckeye Prep Report has done a great job of both identifying and attracting the best up and coming players in the state (and nation for that matter) to our events, it should come as no surprise that our alumni go on to be stars at the high school, college and even NBA level.

You don’t have to attend Buckeye Prep Report-sponsored events to achieve your goals, but our record of featuring the “stars of tomorrow” is unmatched in the state and region, and the early exposure we provide helps players standout in the crowd. It should also be noted that every player on Prep Hoops Ohio’s First Team (as an 8th grader) was selected to participate in the 2013 Ohio North vs South All-Star Game and was a standout.  The Ohio North vs SouthAll-Star Games were the first of their kind and have been well received by elite players from around the state.  Below is Prep Hoops Ohio’s complete list of All-Freshman Teams.  Congratulations to all of out alums as they pursue their basketball-related dreams!

1st Team  (BP Alums in red)

Yahel Hill – PG Cleveland Heights

Dwayne Cohill – SG Cleveland Holy Name

Dane Goodwin – SG Upper Arlington

Isaiah Speelman – SF Hilliard Bradley

Jack Cravaack – PF Madeira

2nd Team

Branden Norris – PG Hilliard Bradley

Colin Shaw – SG Indian Hill

Devon Baker – SG Dayton Dunbar

Mason Schneider – PF Jamestown Greenview

EJ Williams – C Middletown

3rd Team

Dashawn Lawrence – PG Cincinnati Taft

Omari Peek – SF Cincinnati Walnut Hills

L’Christian Smith – SF/PF Huber Heights Wayne

Josh Manningham – PF Cleveland Glenville

Ross Ryan – PF/C Centerburg

Honorable Mention: Cory Davis (SF Cincinnati Walnut Hills), Leonard Taylor (SF/PF Springfield), Christian Guess (SG Glenville), Dylan Beaugard (PG Wilmington), Darius Quisenberry (PG/SG Tecumseh), Jordan Burge (PG Shaker Heights), Xavier Johnson (PG Cincinnati Summit), Justin Ahrens (SG Versailles), Darius Bazley (SF Finneytown).

All-Star Saturday Games Set for Saturday

R. Hampton, J. Keene, A. Harris, R. Bryant, T. Walker & M. Branham

As has been the case for over 16 years, All-Saturday will kick off tomorrow at the Bruce Howard Recreation Center (2505 North Cassidy Road) in Columbus, Ohio. Primarily a community event, All-Star Saturday brings together community youth for both a citywide Easter Egg Hunt as well a series five (5) of youth exhibition games.  Once again, the Buckeye Prep Report has been asked to assemble the rosters for the middle school and high school games.  With the help of our good friend Victor Dandridge, the talent level in both the boy’s high school and middle school exhibition games is quite impressive.  In addition to the boy’s games, for only the second year, and with the assistance of Dexter Nelms, a girl’s high school game will also be played. The event kicks off at 10:am with the Easter Egg Hunt, followed by elementary games at 10:30am, the middle school game at 1:00pm; the girls high school game at 2:30pm and the boys high school game at 4:00pm. The event also offers free health screenings, food and drink as well as numerous fun activities for the kids. In addition, Power 107.5’s City will be on hand spinning tunes and entertaining the capacity crowd.

Some of the standouts for the high school game include: Chris Darrington (Toledo Scott), Mike Simon (Hilliard Darby), Tony Anderson (Groveport), David Dennis (Harvest Prep) and Xavier Holston-Simms (Eastmor), while the middle school game will feature Andre Harris (Cleveland), Ronald Hampton (Dayton) Jeremiah Keene (Columbus), Noah Peeples (Akron), Jaidon Lipsconb (Gahanna) and Nkeely Elmore (Columbus).  Most of the players on both rosters have been all stars and previous Buckeye Prep Elite Showcases.  Below is a complete list of the exhibition game rosters.  Judging form the talent in the 2 games, it should be a great event! If you need a basketball fix, make your way over to the Bruce Howard Recreation Center; you want be disappointed!

Exhibition Game Rosters

Nike Grassroots Tournament Final Day Report

All-Ohio Red 2019-9th Grade Champions

The final day of the Nike Grassroots Tournament featured several very competitive games.  Again, we spent our time camped out at Reynoldsburg High School where the 8^th and 9^th grade semi-finals and championship games were held.  In the 8^th grade championship game, The Family took down the Ohio Bulldogs 49-41. Romeo Weems (6’5/PF/2019/Detroit, MI) finished with 8 points on the way to MVP Honors, while  Tariq Shepard (5’6/PG/2019/Detroit, MI) was the game’s leading scorer with 18 points. Joining Weems and Shepard on the all-tournament team were Jalen Thomas (6’6/C/2019/Toledo, OH) and Charles Anderson (6’1/SG/2019/Warren, MI). For the Bulldogs, Dorian Holloway and Trehon Watkins were selected to the all-tournament team. In the semi final game, The Family got by GPU Steel Rivers by double digit.  The Pittsburgh, PA based GPU is powered by Keeno Arrington (6’0/PG/2019/Pittsburgh, PA) and Kyi Wright (6’3/WF/2019/Farrell, PA).

The 9^th grade semi-finals featured inter-family battles as Buckeye Prep Goodwin and Buckeye Prep-Lyshe faced off for organizational bragging rights.  Although the game was close early, Damon Goodwin’s squad would eventually cruise to a 58-33 victory.  Hilliard’s Isaiah Spellman (6’6/PF/2018/Hilliard Bradley) led all scorers with a game-high 17 points, while Dane Goodwin 6’3/WF/2018/Upper Arlington) finished with 16 points. Ed Lyshe’s team was led in scoring by Garrett Tipton (6’4/WF/2018/Bishop Hartley) with 8 points and Cameron Carlisle (5’11/SG/2018/Gahanna Lincoln) added 6 points.

The second semi final game proved to be slugfest as All-Ohio Red’s 2015 team collided with All-Ohio Red’s 2019 squad.  Nobody wants to get beat by little brother, but that’s exactly what happened as the 2019 team grabbed the win 60-51. Trotwood’s Amari Davis (6’2/WF/2019/Trotwood, OH) continued his outstanding play, finishing with 16 points.  Jeremiah Francis (6’1/PG/2019/Pickerington, OH) logged in a big game to the tune of 12 points, while Taylor Curry (6’7/C/2019/Westerville, OH) also added 12 markers. Springfield’s Darious Quisenberry (5’11/PG/2018/Tecumseh HS) paced the 2018 team with 15 points, followed by Yeal Hill’s 10 points.

 

The Family-8th Grade Champions

One of the best games we have see I a very long time was the 9^th grade championship game featuring Buckeye Prep Goodwin vs All-Ohio Red 2019.  This game offered great defensive plays, big time scoring, was played at an extremely high level and included a dramatic end.  If you will call, these 2 teams faced off on Saturday and appeared to end in a 71-71 tie.  However, the official scorebook reflected a score of 56-55 in favor of Buckeye Prep.  Needless to say, the All-Ohio folks were upset, and the championship game represented a chance to exact revenge.  The game was neck and neck throughout, with Buckeye Prep up 34-35 at the half. The game was tied at 64 with 6 seconds remaining when Taylor Curry went to the line to shoot 1 and 1 to win the game.  His shot missed the mark sending the game into overtime. All-Ohio scored first in overtime to go ahead 66-64. Isaiah Speelman knotted the game at the free throw line (66-66). A driving spin move by Andre Gordon put All-Ohio up 68-66. A Jeremiah Francis trey put All-Ohio up 71-70 with 16 seconds left.  Braden Norris had a final shot to win it, but it did not fall, giving All-Ohio the 71-70 win. The star of the game was Andre Gordon who wowed the crowd with big play after big play.  Gordon’s talent was on full display as he showed a mature game beyond his years. Gordon hit deep threes, hit id range fade away jumpers, attacked the cup and finished and defended at a high level. Gordon finished tied for game-high honors with 21 points. Both Amari Davis and Taylor Curry (6’6/C/2019/Worthington, OH) added 10 point.  Isaiah Speelman was the high man for Buckeye Prep with 21 points, followed by Braden Norris with 16 points and Dane Goodwin with 15 points.   

Although we did not get a chance to see the 6^th grade championship game, we do know that Kings James got by All-Ohio Purple in a close one to take the title. Seth Wilson (5’10/SG/2021/West Lake, OH), Jaineav Cameron (6’2/C/2021/Lima, OH), Jaden Hameed (5’8/WF/Macedonia, OH) and Noah Rittinger (5’6/PG/2021/WV) came up big for King James.  The final four match-ups included King James vs The Family and All-Ohio Purple vs Buckeye Prep 2021.  When we determine the 7^th grade champions we will update this report.

A. Gordon, I. Speelman, R. Weems, K. Arrington, T. Curry, G. Tipton, N. Berry, D. Quisenberry & C. Carlisle

Top Performers

Andre Gordon-All-Ohio Red 2019, Amari Davis-All-Ohio red 2019, Taylor Curry-All-Ohio Red 2019, Jeremiah Francis-All-Ohio Red 2019), Braden Norris-Buckeye Prep Goodwin, Isaiah Speelman-Buckeye Prep Goodwin, Dane Goodwin-Buckeye Prep Lyshe, Garrett Tipton-Buckeye Prep Lyshe, Collin Woodside-Buckeye Prep Lyshe, Cameron Carlisle-Buckeye Prep Lyshe, Darious Quisenberry-All-Ohio Red 2018, Yeal Hill-All-Ohio Red 2018, Kyi Wright-GPU Steel Rivers, Keeno Arrington-GPU Steel Rivers, Romeo Weems-The Family, Jalen Thomas-The Family, Tariq Shepard-The Family, Jordan Coovert-Dayton Metro, Noah Berry-CCG, Charles Anderson-Ohio Bulldogs, Trehon Watkins-Ohio Bulldogs, Dorian Holloway-Ohio Bulldogs and Zach Wilson-Ohio Bulldogs, Seth Wilson-King James 2021 and Noah Rittinger-King James, Elijah English-Buckeye Prep, Malachi Branham-Buckeye Prep, Jaden Hameed-King James, Montae Ware-All-Ohio Purple & Adrian Lawson-All-Ohio Purple.

Nike Grassroots Day II Recap

C. Guess, C. Stringer, D Holloway, C. Woodside, A. Harris, T. Watkins, S. Cherry, B. Fort & C. Rankin

We spent the day at Reynoldsburg High School for day II of the Nike Grassroots Tournament. Early, we watched an 8^th grade EBA Hoops team, pull out a close 56-56 win over a Columbus-based Garver Grizzlies. The stars of the game were Storm Cherry (5’5/PG/2019/Akron) and Andre Harris (6’0/P/SG/2019/Cleveland), who finished with 14 and 15 points, respectively.  We were really impressed with Coach Chris Anthony’s 2019 Ohio Bulldogs squad.  The team is well constructed with solid guard play, scoring wings and quality bigs. The game wasn’t much to watch as the Bulldogs easily defeated Pittsburgh, PA-based GPU, but we were impressed with the play of Dorian Holloway (6’0/WF/2019/Columbus), Treohn Watkins (5’9/SG/Columbus) and Ben Fort (6’0/PG/Reynoldsburg).  We have heard good things about each of these players previously, and what we saw on Saturday confirmed they are quality players.

Buckeye Prep-Lyshe started slow against Ohio Legacy (2018), but stepped on the gas late and pulled away to collect a comfortable 47-24 win. Collin Woodside (6’5/PF/2018/Lancaster) was a beast in the paint and finished with a game high 13 points, while Chase Rankin (5’9/PG/2018/Gahanna) stayed in the paint, drew fouls and hit his free throws to the tune of 12 points.  Buckeye Prep would go on to win their second game of the day to finish second in their pool and advance to bracket play.  All-Ohio Red’s 2019 team had an easy go against All-Ohio Lima Northwest. Chris’Sean Stringer (6’3/WF/2019/Cincinnati) was the high man in the win. Finally, All-Ohio’s 2018 team cruised to a lopsided win over CG4L.  The story of the game was the explosive play of Christian Guess (6’4/SG/2018/Cleveland), who logged in a highlight video type performance.  Guess is athletically gifted and plays above the rim.  The final day match-ups should be competitive and up for grabs in several divisions.

Nike Grassroots Tournament Day I Recap

Dane Goodwin and Amari Davis

We were able to catch some of the Friday night action at the Nike Grassroots Tournament in Columbus last night. First up was a 7^th grade match-up between Dayton’s MVP Dynasty and All-Ohio Southeast. By the time we got there, MVP Dynasty was already in control of the game, and would go on to get the win 89-63. Darryl Duverglas (5’8/SG/2020/Dayton) was the high man with a game-high 28 points. Keshawn Hugley backed him up with a 21-point performance, while Zierin Exon (6’2/C/2020/Dayton) added 16 points.  For All-Ohio, Zack Loveday (6’7/C/2020/Gallipolis) scored a team-high 19 points in the loss.  We first saw Loveday earlier this month at the Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase and were very impressed with his potential then.  What we saw on Friday revealed more production as Loveday was tough to handle in the post.  He is still very slender, but his length and footwork allow him to score on shorter defenders.  Loveday also rebounds at a high rate and gets his hands on a lot of shots.  We still believe his long-term potential is significant.

We finally got our first look at All-Ohio’s 2019 team as they faced off against Buckeye Prep-Goodwin, a 9^th grade team.  Our first question was to what extent All-Ohio Red had upgraded, as they did not return for a third season with the NYBL and people were wondering. Other than Tailor Currie (6’6/C/2019/Worthington), Trenton Gillionson, a 6’3 freshman from Pickerington Central High School, Tanner Holden  (6’1/WF/2019/Wheelersburg) and Cameron Curry, the core of the team is still intact.  Of course Jordan Mitchell is running with King James and Gerard Reynolds and Greg Tribble Jr. have moved on. The starters appear to be Jeremiah Francis, Andre Gordon, Amari Davis, Chris’sean Stringer, Demarco Bradley Jr. and Tailor Currie. The fact that All-Ohio went toe-toe with arguably the top 9^th grade team in the state suggests they are still a quality team despite the defections from last season. 

For the record, Buckeye Prep won the game 56-55.  Is should be noted there was a bit of controversy as most in the crowd believed the game went into overtime after Amari Davis drained a deep three with time running out.  The problem, although the scoreboard read 57-57, the official score book reflected 56-55.  Game over. Despite the drama, the big story of the game was the big time performances of Dane Goodwin (6’3/WF/2018/Upper Arlington) and Amari Davis (6’2/WF/2019/Trotwood), both of whom displayed high major talent.  Goodwin, an Ohio State commitment, confirmed why Thad Matta offered the freshman a scholarship before he played his first high school game. Goodwin is super smooth, is a lights out shooter from beyond the ark, has deceptive athleticism and can score at the rim.  Goodwin finished with a team-high 27 points. Not to be outdone, Amari Davis was as impressive as we have ever seen him.  Davis has always been considered somewhat of a sleeper, but his game has awakened. Deep threes and drives to the basket is how Davis got it done on Friday, as he hit big shot after big shot.  He’s young, but Davis may have the highest ceiling of any player on his team.  College coaches should be tracking Davis as college ball is definitely in his future.  We plan to stick around for day 2 to see if we can find some more standout performers.

NYBL Session I Day Two Recap

J. Ray, T. Williams, J. Harvey, D. Hudson, C, Charleston, T. Miller, D. Scott, G. Dexter, J. Edmonds

Much like day 1, Sunday’s action convinced us that the NYBL is absolutely loaded across the board, both in terms of team and individual talent.  In teams of team performance, 9 teams rolled out of the DMV with unblemished records. In the 8^th grade division, the undefeated teams included: New World, Butler Elite, Team Rio, and Philly Triple Threat.  The 7^th grade appeared to be a little more rugged, as only the Oakland Soldiers and Team Durant finished a 5-0.  The five 6^th grade teams with perfect records were New World, Team Takeover, S Elite Bmores Finest and the West Coast All-Stars. Although not perfect, a 4-1 record in the NYBL is still very impressive. Eleven teams fit this category including: Team Teague, Garner Road Bulldogs, D.C. Premier, Metro Flyers, Bmores Finest, Team Florida and Team Charlotte in the 2019 division, while Team Takeover, RIP City, West Coast All-Stars, San Diego Select and God First Crusaders represented in 2020, and S. Elite and the Oakland Soldiers got it done for the 6^th graders.

Team Takeover 2021 not only finished 5-0 for the weekend, but they did it in convincing fashion, winning each of the 5 games by double digits.  The closet game they had was against CBC Elite who kept the margin of victory to 12 points. Team Takeover is powered by a core of players including Trevor Keels (5’11/W/PF/2021/Clinton, MD), Kino Lilly (5’2/PG/2021/Glendale, MD), EJ Speight (6’3/C/2021/MD), Rodney Rice (5’4/P/SG/2021/Clinton, MD) and Darius Johnson (5’5/PG/2021/Germantown, MD). Keels is considered the primary scorer on a loaded squad as evidenced by his multiple 20 point games.  Lilly is described as a natural PG who can dominate a game without scoring.

Takeover is not the only 2021 team that ran the table in session I; New World also flexed their muscles and dominated the competition. New World is paced by Jaylen Hall (5’7/WF/2021/Glen Arden, MD), Elijah Hawkins (4’11/PG/2021/Washington DC) and Julian Ellerby (5’9/WF/2021/Washington DC).  New World excels in transition and  any of the players can rebound the ball and push it up the court. Hall is impacts the game in every aspect.  Big, strong and finishes is how most observers describe Hall’s game. Hawkins handles the PG duties and Ellerby is represents a key piece to the puzzle

The West Coast All-Stars made the trek out east and proved that the left coast can play ball as well, despite the “East Coast Bias.”  Mike Morris’ squad blew through the field, winning by double digits in all 5 games. The “man” on that team is Latrelle Moore (5’11/PF/2021/Houston, TX) who jumps out the gym with his elite athleticism. Tryone Washington (5’7/P/SG/2021/Tempe, AZ) did double duty this past weekend, playing up and down on the program’s 2020 and 2021 teams.  Washington is a load in 2020, but in 2021 he’s a problem! Dynamic, crafty and vision are Washington’s strengths. Recardo Sarmiento (5’7/SG/2021/Phoenix, AZ), Jaden Jones (5’8/P/SG/2021/Dallas, TX), Brandon Perez (6’0/W/PF/2021/LA, CA) and Chris Page (6’1/C/2021/LA, CA) all contribute to the depth of this team.  The West Coast All-Stars play a fast-paced, run and gun style play that takes advantage of easy scoring opportunities. According to Head coach Mike Morris, “the league [NYBL] was loaded with talent last year, but this year there are even more competitive teams.”

We would be remiss if we did not mention possibly the best game of the day on Sunday. It’s NYBL policy to match-up the best teams as often as possible.  To that end, Team Texas, serving as a fill in team for the Arkansas Soldierz, was matched up with D.C. Premier in a showcase game at the end of the day on Sunday.  As expected, the game was a dogfight from the tip to the final horn.  The 2 heavy weights traded body blows the entire contest.  D.C. Premier seemed to hold the lead for most of the game, but it was never really by more than a couple of buckets.  Premiere led 16-11 after the 1^st quarter and went into halftime up 27-22.  DC was still up 41-37 to start the finial period and would go on to win 50-53.  We knew he was tough, but some of the stuff Marvin Price was doing was high major stuff.  Strong, athletic and skilled best describes Price. Oh yea, Price dropped a game-high 18 points in the game. Makhi Mitchell deserves some credit as he not only served as rim protector; he also seemed to finish everything near the rim to the tune of 16 points.  Christian Depollar added 7 points. As was the case the entire session, Team Texas’ guard play was phenomenal! In our opinion, Chris Harris, De’vion Harmon and Tyrese Maxey are all future high major D-I guards.  All three have D-I size, skill and IQ.  Harris and Maxey both finished with 13 points, while Harmon and Grant Sherifield finished with 9 points.

M. Price, M. Mitchell, B. James, D. OdomS. Cooper, M. Moreno, J. Pugh, Z. Graham & J. Springer

We were extremely excited about all of the “Fresh Faces” faces that have entered into the league and we look forward to introducing the new talent to the world.  We saw him lighting it up on Saturday then he did it again on Sunday.  Krim Caulibaly (6’7/C/2019/Temple Hill, MD) is a star in the making.  The NYBL is accustom to introducing the next great thing to world, now we give you Caulibaly. Great size, athleticism and an amazing skill set for an 8^th grader. We are already thinking high major potential. We also wrote about Isaac Okoro (6’3/PF/2020/Atlanta, GA) in our day 1 recap, but the more we watched hoop and looked at the scorebooks the more impressive Okoro appeared.  Yes he’s big, aggressive and can handle the rock, but Okoro is a scoring machine! In fact, it appears that Okoro went for at least 20 points in 3 of the 5 games he played, and was  the leading scorer for the session. The league is known to find and make stars, well Okoro could be one of the next big names to come out of the NYBL!

Jacob Ray (6’5/WF/2019/LA, CA) caught our eye on day 2.  Ray runs the floor well for his size, has a high motor and finishes at a high rate around the cup.  Teamed up with the dynamic EJ Jackson (5’6/PG/2019/CA), who is an absolute wizard with the rock, the West Coast Stars is a great addition to the NYBL.  Jackson’s national reputation is unquestioned as is his ability to create easy shots for his teammates.  Justin McKoy (6’3/WF/2019/Cary, NC) caught our eye this weekend and could be another star in the making. Equipped with a big frame, a soft touch and an aggressive disposition, McKoy could be mentioned among the best by the time the league finals roles around in Columbus in June. 

We did not see much of him, but what we did see of Jamahri Harvey (6’2/SG/2019/Fayetteville, NC) we really liked!  Clearly, Harvey has a nice frame and loads of athleticism.  We plan to take a closer look at Harvey at session II in Richmond. E1T1 2020 only finished 2-3 in session I, but Leonard Manuel is worth keeping an eye on. Blessed with good size and explosiveness, Manuel could end up being one of the best players in a loaded 2020 division. His teammate, Gervon Dexter (6’6/C/2020/Lakewales, FL) is a raw talent, but his body, motor and explosiveness are off the charts. The kid plays above the rim, tries to block everything, while making it near impossible for his opponents to finish near the rim.  As his skill set catches up with his freak athleticism (and he doesn’t decide to stick with football), Dexter has next level potential. CJ Charleston (5’9/WF/2020/Cleveland) was a surprise find.  The more we watched him the more we appreciated his game. Charleston stayed in the paint and finished in traffic near the rim.  He’s not just a slasher; Charleston can drain the 3 ball as well.  Case in point, Charleston dropped a 20 spot in a game on Saturday.

L. Moore, D. Booker, J. Blackmon, M. Branham, C. Furst, N. Peeples, W. Sizer, D. Henry & C. Houston

Although we know him well from his affiliation with All-Ohio Red the last couple of years, Noah Peeples is new to the NYBL.  In DC, Peeoples was a dominant force for his EBA Hoops team.  Although he has played closer to the basket over the past couple of years, Peeples’ game is evolving and he is now more than comfortable playing a guard position.  In the class of 2021, Peeples is a big guard with a solid handle who can get his team buckets. Case in point, in the game against Team Durant, Peeples exploded for 21 points. The Truth’s Devon Fox (5’10/SG/2019/Cleveland, OH) really impressed us with his tenaciousness, elite handle, athleticism and ability to finish.  When we saw him, Fox was in complete attack mode and showed he can also knock down the perimeter shot.  Fox went for 17 points against the Lexington Hustle. We’ve seen Jalen Blackmon (5’7/PG/2021/Ft. Wayne, IN) before and predicted he would follow in his older brother’s footsteps and play high major ball.  The Younger Blackmon does not do much of the elite showcase and camp circuit, so he is not yet a household name; however, he has a special talent. Blackmon has the ability to score on all three levels, is smart with the rock, finds open teammates and makes few mistakes.

We already listed Balsa Koprovica (7’0/C/2019/FL) as a standout out in out day 1 recap, and we should have mentioned that he is still clearly elite and should be playing in the NBA in a few years.  What we did not mention is the fact the Bryan Sanders (6’0/SG/2019/FL) is still a threat to put up big numbers. In the game against GPU Steel Rivers, Sanders exploded for 20 points.  He simply could not be prevented from getting into the paint and finishing.  We did not see him on Saturday, but what we saw of Team Takeover’s Terrence Williams (6’4/WF/2020/D.C) on Sunday convinced us he is still among the top 5 players in the class of 2020. Williams’ combination of size and skill makes him tough to guard around the bucket. Not only can he score in the paint, Williams is equipped with a jumper if left unguarded. Drake Booker (5’9/WF/2021/Las Vegas) is the engine that drives the Oakland Solders.  The super smooth wing has a mature game and an advanced skill set.

Scoring Leaders

Any time a player can put up 20 plus points on a team he has to have something to work with and deserves to be highlighted.  We did not catch them all, but some of the players included in the “20 Point Club” include: Krim Coulibaly (2019 New World); Isaac Okoro-3 (2019 AOT); Bryan Antoino-3 (2019 Team Rio); Chris Harris Jr. (2019 Team Texas); Alec Prfiem-2 (2019 SWO Elite); Balsa Koprivica (2019 Team Florida); Jacob Ray (2019 West Coast Stars); James Bishop (2019 Bmores Finest); Evan Prater (2019 SWO Elite); Joey Edmonds (2019 SWO Elite);  Sharife Cooper (2019 AOT); Joshua Nickelberry (2019 Team Loaded), Devon Fox (2019 The Truth); Dieblo Stewart (2019 Lexington Hustle); Malik Anderson; Zion Harmon (2010 Oakland Soldiers); Kyree Walker-4 (2020 Oakland Soldiers); Matt Allocco (2020 Mid-Ohio Pumas); Jack Pugh (2020 Mid-Ohio Pumas); AJ Hoggard (2020 Team Durant); CJ Charleston (2020 OBC); Kobe (LNU) (2020 E1T1), Shemar Morrow (2020 Oakland Soldiers); M. Land (2020 SWO Elite); K. Wright (2020 GPU Steel Rivers); Makhi White (2020 GHITP); Ish Leggett (2020 Team Takeover); Dwon Odom (2020 Worldwide); Julian Thomas (2020 Team Final Red); Trevor Keels (2021 Team Takeover); Latrelle Moore (2021 West Coast All-Stars); Jalen Blackmon (2021 Team Teague); Noah Peeoples (2021 EBA Hoops); J. Paz (Team Final Red 610ers) and Sam Alamata (2021 DC United).

Top Performers

2019: Jacob Ray-West Coast Stars, Jamahri Harvey-Fayetteville Elite; Donte Scott-Philly Triple Threat; Tristan Miller-CBC/Havoc; EJ Jackson-West Coast Stars; Devon Fox-The Truth, Bryce Waller-The Truth; Demonte Hudson-Butler Elite; Jordan McKay-Team Rio; Tariq Ingraham-Team Rio; Caleb McReed-CBC/Havoc; Malik Anderson-New World; DJ Horne-Garner Road Krim Caulibaly-New World; Evan Prater-SWO Elite; Ed Sanchez-Metro Flyers; Dejourn Cook-Metro Flyers; John Wilson-Metro Flyers.  2020: Jason Harris-West Coast All-Stars; Marvin Davies-King James; Chris Mayfield-Mid-Ohio Pumas; Cameron McCreory-Mid-Ohio Pumas; CJ Charleston-OBC; Jordon Toles-Team Durant; Kenneth McElrath-OBC; Sharife Cooper-A.O.T. & Isaiah LeBlanc-God First Crusaders; Dupree Bryant-RIP City; Makhi White-GHITP; Andrew Small-Florida Elite; Isaiah Kennedy-King James; Devonte Blanton-King James; Alex Wade-San Diego Select; Obinna Anyanwe-San Diego Select; Jacoby Wright-CBC Elite; Richard Waller-Garner Road Elliott; Chibuzo Agbo-San Diego Select and Richie Greavis-Team Izod, Chase Ellie-Worldwide Wildcats. 2021: Jaylen Hall-New World; Drake Booker-Oakland Soldiers; Trevor Keels-Team Takeover; Delvon Johnson-Team Glory; Noah Peeoples-EBA Hoops; Christian Moore-Bmores Finest; Tyrone Washington-West Coast All-Stars; Josh Nickelberry-Team Izod; Trey Thomas-Team Takeover; Sean Jones-All-Ohio Red, Josiah Mobley-All-Ohio Red; Wil Sizer-All-Ohio Red; Jalen McDonald and Tramon Mack.

If teams thought the match-ups in session I were extreme, wait until the action shifts to Richmond, VA for session II.  The match-ups in 2020 will be epic, and some of the teams that are currently packing 5-0 and 4-1 records will get a taste just what “NYBL competition” is really all about.  We understand we did not catch every player who logged in standout performance but we intend to focus on teams and players that did not get much exposure from session to session. Can’t wait for session II!