NYBL Co-Founder Severs Ties to Youth Basketball League

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

NYBL Co-Founder Severs Ties to Youth Basketball League

COLUMBUS, OH. (September 15, 2015) - With the conclusion of the NYBL all-star games this past weekend, Buckeye Prep Report Founder, Rob Taylor has severed all ties with the National Youth Basketball League, and will no longer have any involvement with the day-to-day operations of the 3-year old league. Although Taylor is extremely proud of his role in taking a raw idea, selling the vision of the league to coaches, and spearing heading significant growth over the past 3 years, he has concluded that it is now time to move on and focus on further strengthening the Buckeye Prep Report brand. 

Anybody who knows anything about Rob Taylor and the Buckeye Prep Report knows that he and his events are synonymous with integrity, fairness, passion and organization. In the wake of the recent Elite Basketball Circuit (EBC) debacle, and being unwilling to compromise his principles and risk tarnishing his hard-earned reputation, Taylor has decided to step away from a league in which he was instrumental in building and managing. “I would like to thank all of the players, coaches and parents who helped in the realization of the vision, while simultaneously playing a role in “changing the face of middle school basketball!” said Taylor. 

Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase All-Star Game Rosters

J. Riggins, A. Davis, Z. Davis, K. Martin, D. Scott, J. Toles, AJ Hoggard, S. Boguess, P. McMilliam

When an event has numerous elite players from around the country and a player makes an all-star team, that accomplishment becomes significant.  Such was the case at the Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase this past weekend where a handful players logged in great weekends and were awarded with coveted spots on an all-star squad. If making an all-star game at a Buckeye Prep Event is special, then being selected a MVP is truly the pinnacle. Below is a link to the all-star game rosters including players chosen as Top 5 Award winners and MVPs.

Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase All-Star Game Rosters

Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase-Day One Recap

J. Riggens, J. Springer, Z. Harmon, J. Toles, J. Hairston, K. Martin, S. Wilson, C. Byers & C. Livingston

The 2015 Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase tipped of with a bang yesterday as nearly 500 players form across the country and Canada descended on Otterbein University in Columbus, Ohio to gage their skills against the elite and to impress the 15 plus scouting services in attendance. The event began with a series of NYBL all-star games in the morning and early afternoon followed by the first round of showcase games later in the afternoon. NYBL All-Stars: Jalen Blackmon (2021 Top 20); Courage Ogbeide (2021 Top 20); Isaiah May (2021 Top 40); AJ Hoggard (2020 Top 20); Zion Harmon (2020 Top 20); Chris Mayfield (2020 Top 40); Evan Johnson (2019 Top 20); Alec Pfreim (2019 Top 20) and Aaron Estrade-(2019 Top 40).

Although a majority of the teams only played 2 games on day one, several players quickly established themselves as top players.  Some of the day one standouts included: Davin Zeigler; Corvey Chapman; Chase Rankin (2018); William Muffit (2019); Jordan Hairston (2019); Aaron Estrade (2019); Christian Depollar (2019); Nobel Days (2019); Amari Davis (2019); Donte Scott (2019); Kaleb Martin (2019); Jamill Riggins (2019); Larry Canady (2019); Jordan Toles (2020); Jaden Springer (2020); Jayer Davis (2020); Isaiah LeBlanc (2020); Ernest Sanders (2020); Christian Moore (2020); Zion Harmon (2021), Julian Thomas (2020); HJ Hoggard (2020); William Greene (2020); Cameron Byers (2020; Joshua Boscoe (2020); Ricky Canady (2020), Zach Loveday (2020);Ryan Conway (2021); Seth Wilson (2021); Chris Ford (2021); Caleb Furst (2021); Kerell Booker (2021); Makail Cottingham (2021); Hughes (2021), Meechie Johnson (2021); Paul McMillian IV (2022); Tony Munoz (2021); Jalen Blackmon (2021); Jakobe Thompson (2021); Keon Henderson (2022); KK Bransford (2022), Sonny Johnson Jr.(2022); Chris Livingston (2022);  Edelen (2022); Dionte  Austin Nellis (2023), LA Hayes; Marcus Johnson.

Day two promises to feature many more of the elite players as players pick it up on oder to make all-star teams.

Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase Rosters & Schedule (Initial Draft)

Below is an email I sent out to everybody on my bulk email list about the upcoming Buckeye Prep Report Elite Showcase.  For those of you with kids/players planning to attend the event, please review the email carefully.

Elite Showcase Rosters & Schedule  (Initial draft)

Elite Showcase Information Page

"Below is a link to the initial draft of rosters and schedule for Buckeye Prep Report Elite Showcase. The initial draft is being released early in order for corrections (i.e., name spelling, division placement, scheduling errors, etc) to be made prior to the event. As you can see from the showcase documents, the event is now SOLD OUT and no additional players can be added at this point. Although the event is sold out, there are still players who have not paid their entry fee. At this point, if I continue to receive interest, I will replace an unpaid player with a paying customer in order to reduce the number of no shows. If your son/player’s name does not appear on a roster, he is not entered in the event. No “walkups” will be accepted.  Also, although some of the rosters reflect 11 players, I always over book each team by one player to account for last minutes no shows.  In most cases, the teams will settle in at 10 players. If you paid your fee using Pay Pal, please have your receipt available as confirmation.

Please review the rosters, schedule and showcase rules very carefully to insure your child/player is listed, was placed in the correct grade division, and his name is spelled correctly. Also, please check the other team rosters as well to insure your child/player is not listed twice.  If you see an error, simply email me at BuckeyePrep@yahoo.com and I will make the correction(s). If a player is listed on one of the rosters and you know he is not planning to attend the showcase for any reason, please email the information so the spot can be made available to a player on the waiting list.

The final rosters for the Saturday all-star games will be released by next week.  For those players who are not participating in the Saturday all-star games, they will not need to arrive at the gym until 1:00pm on Saturday to register. After opening comments and team assignments, the showcase games will tip off at 2:45pm. Every team will play at least 2 games (3 games for some teams) on Saturday. Games will begin at 8:30am on Sunday.  The top 2-4 kids from each team will be selected for a final all-star game on Sunday afternoon. In addition, in most cases, games will start early, so make sure your son/player is in the gym and prepared to play at least 45 minutes before his game is scheduled.

For my coaches, please read the enclosed letter, and plan to report to the facility by 1:00pm on Saturday for a short coaches meeting. Also, please review the rosters for the team you are assigned to insure you are not coaching your son, a friend’s son, a player you coach or anybody else that might represent a conflict of interest. If that’s the case, please contact me so you can be re-assigned. Finally, you will be presented with a camp T-shirt that you will be expected to wear so please dress accordingly.

I hope you and your son/child is excited about the event! As I have pointed out earlier, this event will be our biggest and most competitive ever, with over 500 players attending from across the country. Also, there will be numerous media outlets in the gym to document the action. In closing, please arrive at the gym with a positive and healthy attitude. Because there will be a lot of people in the gym, please bring a healthy dose of tolerance and patience! If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to email me at BuckeyePrep@yahoo.com and I will do my best to respond.  See you on the 12th^t!"

Rob Taylor

Event Director

THE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK – TEAM THRILL

According to my sources in the DMV area, there is a new player on the AAU scene.  Coach Mookie Dobbins and his Nationally Ranked 3^rd and 7^th grade teams have separated themselves from the Bmore’s Finest Brand, and have taken their talents to “Team Thrill.”  Earlier reports had Mookie and his teams merging with the MD Playmakers, however, reports that the NBA’s Will Barton was looking to start a program in his hometown resulted in a shift of plans. If you don’t know who Will Barton is, Will Barton is the shooting guard for the Denver Nuggets and a Baltimore native who is adamant about giving back to the place where he grew up.  Baltimore has not had a lot of bright spots over the last few months and we all know what I’m talking about, but Barton wants to change that and give kids hope, not just in basketball but in life. This is just the first step in his attempt to give back to the city that raised him.

Coach Dobbins will not be alone in this move, as Coach Woody Gunter will be joining him, and along with Gunter he will be bring the 2014/2015 4^th Grade West Coast Champions. Gunter and his team were crowned West Coast Champs approximately  two hours before Dobbins 6^th grade did the same.  We wish Coach Mookie and Gunther well in their new endeavors.  You can catch several of Team Thrill’s top players at the upcoming Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase on September 12^th.

Last Call

The field for the September 12th & 13th Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase is filling in nicely, and promises to be one of the most competitive events of the year!  below is an email I sent out a couple of days ago reminding parents and coaches about the upcoming deadline. Please review the same and contact us at 614-203-2929 or taylorobe@aol.com ASAP of you still have interest in the event.

Parents and Coaches,

 

We are now just 4 short weeks away from the Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase/NYBL All-Star Weekend, and I’m currently putting the finishing touches on the event format and schedule. As a reminder, the event is scheduled for September 12th & 13th at Otterbein University.  Registration will open by 7:30am, with the NYBL All-Star games scheduled to tip off about 9:30am, followed by the elite showcase about 5:00pm (still very tentative).  We will start back on Sunday about 8:00am and finish up with the final all-star games by about 5:00pm.  

 

I plan to have an initial draft of the rosters, team assignments and schedule posted at least 1 week prior to the event.  The only names that will appear on the rosters will be those players who have submitted the registration forms and fee. Although I have posted a tentative participant list on the website (see below), that list is not official, so if your son/player’s name is listed there, but you have not sent in the forms and/or fee, they will not have a spot in the event.  In addition, I have to place the jersey order by August 24th and I cannot order a jersey if I have not received the registration fee and forms. Therefore, you still have time, but you must act quickly if you still want to get your son/player registered.

If you son/players is participating in one of the NYBL All-Star games, he may be receiving a custom jersey and shoes (depending on the game); therefore, we need to know his uniform and shoe size by tomorrow!  

 

Also, I know a number of you have paid the registration fee via Pay Pal, but have not yet sent in your registration forms.  If that’s the case,  I need you to do so as soon as possible so I can match the forms I received with your son/player’s name, and get them on my official participant list. If you have/or will pay your fee via Pay Pal, please make sure you bring the receipt with you when you register your son/player.  If you son'player's name is listed among the "Committed Player" list and your plans have changed, please do us the courtesy of letting us know that. In addition, if you have submitted your interest and your son/player's name is not listed, please contact me and I will update the list.  Finally, in case you have misplaced the invitation and registration forms, I have attached another copy to this email.

 

If you have any questions or concerns about the event, please feel free to email or call me at 614-203-2929.

Rob Taylor

614-203-2929

Information Page Link:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1X4CIserff98selJqtwFyl81Zdt2eRH-2rvnT1agnc8U/edit

NYBL All-Star Game Rosters:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5wGLJCKPFYtSjZqeThuZXVYc2c/view

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