COBBA League Championship Tournament Results

Pickerington-3rd Grade COBBA Champions

On Sunday, we had the opportunity to spend some time at Reynoldsburg HS checking out the action at the Central Ohio Boys Basketball Association’s (COBBA) season ending championship.  In the first game we watched, Reynoldsburg’s 3^rd grade boy’s team defeated Olentangy by a final score of 31-21.  In the game, Reynoldsburg jumped out to a 9-0 lead and never really looked back. Leading the way for Reynoldsburg was Steve Blackmon (2029/G/Reynoldsburg), who went for a game-high 9 points.  Right behind him in scoring was Michael Sellers who added 7 points.  Running the point for Reynoldsburg was Tyler Postell. We were also impressed with the play of Olentangy’s Ashland Hanna, who showed a great skill set and feel for the game.

In the 3^rd grade championship game, Reynoldsburg faced off against Pickerington who they had faced 2 other times earlier this season, This rubber match game (1-1) started off tight, as the lead changed hands several times in the 1^st quarter.  By the end of the first period the game was still relatively close at 15-14 in favor of Pickerington.  However, by mid second quarter, Pickerington started flexing their muscles and was ahead 21-14 at the 1:30 mark.  The game was out of hand by the end of the 3^rd period (40-18), and Pickerington would go on to win the title by a final score of 52-23.  Pickerington was led in scoring by the dynamic Dallas Stewart (2029/G/Pickerington) who dropped a gaudy 20 points in the win.  If you will recall, we published a feature on Stewart several weeks ago, and his play today did not disappoint.  This kid has a chance to be good!

Tucker, Stewart, Blckmon, Hanna, Postell & Hopson

In other action, Reynoldsburg’s 4^th grade team took the 4^th grade title with an easy 57-23 win over Olentangy.  In the contest, we were super impressed with the play of Gabriel Tucker (2028/G/Reynoldsburg), who dropped a game-high 22 points in the win.  We’ve seen Tucker in action on several occasions and have him as one of the top 5 players in the state in the class of 2028.  We also have to give a shout out to the Renaissance Seminoles for winning the 3^rd grade girl’s championship with an 18-11 victory over New Albany.  In terms of standouts, we were impressed with the play of Sarai Hopson (2029/G/Columbus), who impressed us with her poise and play at the point. All in all, it was a great afternoon of basketball! Congratulations to all of the teams and players for a great run.

Photo Gallery

Basketball Spotlight to Cover Buckeye Prep Invitational

As further proof of our commitment to provide maximum exposure at all of our events, in addition to our own in-house media coverage, we have contracted with Mike Melton’s Basketball Spotlight organization to provide even more extensive media coverage of our Buckeye Prep Invitational Tournament, which is currently scheduled for March 27^th-29^th.  

As most youth basketball fans know by now, Mike Melton and basketball Spotlight are one of the nation’s most prominent authorities on youth basketball.  Not only will team and player related stories and features appear on the Buckeye Prep website and social media platforms, there will be full coverage on Basketball Spotlight’s website and social media as well. Basketball Spotlight's partitipation will provide more broad coverage on the east coast and beyond. 

As our motto states, we provide “Elite Competition and Maximum Exposure! Parents, tell your coaches you want the team to participate in the Buckeye Prep Invitational!  Registration is open now!

Basketball Spotlight Link

Information Page Link

Registration Link

Johnson Commits to Big Ten

Sonny Johnson Jr. 5'10" PG Garfield Heights 2022

Because we always track the players that participate in our events, we would like to give a shout out to Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase Alum Sonny Johnson Jr. (5’10”/PG/Cleveland/2022) for his recent commitment to Penn State.  We have watched Johnson excel for years at our tournaments and elite showcases so it comes as no surprise to us that the Peen State coaching staff has recognized his talent.  A highly skilled PG, Johnson can either score himself or create opportunities for teammates. Despite an ACL injury that cut short his sophomore season, Penn State remained committed to Johnson, who will return to Garfield Heights for his junior season.  With his commitment to Penn State, Johnson will now join his cousin, Meechie Johnson in the Big Ten. We can’t wait to watch both Johnson boys light up the Big Ten in a couple of years.

Williams Adds Strength to Bates Fundamental Squad

Adam Williams 5'10" PF 2026 Dayton

With the edition of stud Adam Williams Jr. (5’10”/PF/2026/Dayton), Coach Tre Jones’ 2026 Bates Fundamental team is looking forward to a breakout season in 2020.  As the Ohio Kings last season, Jones’ team was ranked among the top 5 teams in the state, however, by adding Williams, who will add much needed size and toughness in the post, Jones is excited about the prospects of the upcoming season. 

According to Jones, as well as what we’ve seen in the mix tape below, Williams’ strength, athleticism and “Karl Malone” type effort, will greatly enhance his team’s interior scoring.  In addition to his ability to score in the paint, Williams’ size and athleticism allows him to defend multiple positions.  Along with Williams, Jones’ squad will return Jecarious Reaves (5’6”/CG/2026/Dayton), who was a starter and leading scorer last season.  You can catch Williams and his Bates Fundamental team in action at the Buckeye Prep Invitational Tournament the weekend of March 27^th-29^th in Columbus.

Adam Williams Mix Tape 

Stewart is Young & Talented

Dallas Stewart 4'7" PG 2029 Pickerington

As most of our followers know by now, we do our best to identify and spotlight young talent from around the state and region regardless of age. From what we see in the mix tapes below, Pickerington’s Dallas Stewart (4’7”/PG /2029) has already shown a lot of potential. The son of a high school coach, it’s clear that Stewart has been in the gym working on his game. 

From what we can tell, Stewart is offensively gifted, which is aided by his ability to knock down the 3-ball, both off the bounce and in catch and shoot situations. He also handles the ball extremely well, and his court vision, willingness and ability to find open teammates makes everybody on the floor better.  He also works well in transition and finishes drives with both hands.  He’s not just a scorer, as Stewart plays great on ball defense and understands how to play passing lanes. According to his father, Marcus, “Dallas plays hard, is a great teammate and is a gym rat.”

In the winter, Stewart plays with a 3^rd grade Pickerington COBBA team where he averages roughly 17-18 points per game.  Last spring and summer, Stewart rolled with All-Ohio Red where he lead the team in scoring at about 14-15 points per game.  On that same team are standouts Tyler Postell (4’3”/CG/2029) and Steve Blackman (4’7”/CF/2029), both of whom can also ball.  When we release our Watch List of the top 3^rd graders in the state in a few weeks, you can bet Stewart will be featured! We also look forward to catching Stewart and his team in action at our March 27^th-29^th Buckeye Prep Invitational Tournament!

Mix Tape #1

Mix Tape #2

Get Me Recruited to Cover Buckeye Prep Invitational Tournament

We have confirmed that Lamont Taylor and his Get Me Recruited organization will be retuning to Columbus to cover our Buckeye Prep Invitational Tournament in March. Get Me Recruited is one of the top scouting services in the country, and their presence at our event will afford our participants a significant level of national exposure!  Taylor and his staff have scouted many of our events for several years and have always done a fantastic job providing exposure.  Below is just a sample of the exposure they provided our elite showcase last year. We’re happy to welcome Taylor  and his staff back!

Get Me Recruited Elite Showcase Coverage

Get Me Recruited Website