Buckeye Prep Invitational-More Standouts

We had our staff monitor the various facilities in search of standout performers.  At Central Crossing, our staff submitted the following list of standout performers: 7^th Grade: Jacob Sunderland – Michigan Titans; Jordan Brooks – Bates Fundamental; Tayshawn Comer – Team Teague; and Davon Smith – Court Leaders. 8^th Grade: Bryan Ottrix Jr, - Ginn Elite; Mike Skeryotis – All Ohio Phenom; Braydon Lichtenberg – Maumee Bay Turf; Joe Abas – OBC Black; Tyler Montague – Cincinnati Royals White; Kenyon Menifield – Comrade United Elite; JJ Truit – Buckeye Storm; Kobe Johnson – All Ohio Phenom; Isaiah Walker – Cincinnati Royals Blue; Palmer Diggio – PA Elite; Carter Mimms – Dayton Wolves; AJ Adams – All Ohio Gold. 9^th Grade; CJ Anthony – CK2 Elite; Nick Smith – All Ohio Elite; Taj Staneskie – Ohio Rebels; Garvin Clarke – Ohio Rebels; Max Land – Adidas Probound Ohio 2020; Jake Warriner – Adidas Probound Ohio 2020; Eamon Straub – Steel Town South; Jared McCorkle – Ohio Knockout; Dewane Robinson – NU Vision Ballers; Cooper Justice – VCC Nova Alleyne; Willeone Yates – MVP Dynasty Black. 10^th Grade: Ryan Greggs – All Ohio Select; Bryce Damous – Rail Cities Attack; and Tommy Cummings – Summit Elite.

Buckeye Prep Invitational-More Standouts

We had our staff monitor the various facilities in search of standout performers.  At Whitehall, were a majority of the 5^th and 6^th grade teams played, the following players were seen balling out: Sellers Littles (7^th Dayton Wolves), Mekhi Elmore (7^th Dayton Wolves), Roshan Persaud (7^th CIA Bounce East), Savaan Dunney (7^th (CIA Bounce East), Zezan Bmns (6^th Miller Factory), Kewan Hill (6^th Miller Factory), John Mobley Jr. (5^th Miller Factory), Donte Dearing (6^th Michigan Titans), Daison Chandler (6^th Michigan Titans), Jahkary Towns (6^th Miller Factory), Gavin Beisel (6^th Miller Factory), Hunter Smith (6^th Ohio Stampede), Carter Hidd (6^th Ohio Stampede), Keegan Fernlund (6^th Ohio Stampede), Elyjah Hendricks (5^th MWA Elite), Lee Bruner (5^th MWA Elite), RU Mills (5^th (R4L), KJ Wendall (6^th Team Teague), Latrell White (6^th Team Teague), Melvin German (6^th Team Teague), Jordan Edwards (6^th Probound), Miles Perkins (5^th APEX), Jack Wakil (5^th All-Ohio Black), Nick Harris (5^th Nova Village) and Tyrell Thompson (6^th Hardwork).

Buckeye Prep Invitational-Saturday/Sunday Notes

Soul Hines, CJ Anthony, Seth Wilson, Paul McMillian & Julian Smith

Despite the challenge of covering teams and players playing at 6 different tournament sites, we did our best to get around the event on Saturday and Sunday at the Buckeye Prep Invitational in search of standout performers.  Below are a few notes we took of players who were getting it done.

3^rd Grade

R’moni Wells-Pride Blackwell; Julian Smith-Pride Blackwell; Jecarioos Reaves-Gym City Kings; Brayden Fogle-Ohio Rebels; and Julian Smith-Pride-Blackwell; Ashaan Singh-Pride-Blackwell; Cameron Webster-Pride-Blackwell; and Jakyvion Roane.

4^th Grade:

Joseph Boddie-PG All-Ohio; Brandon Brewer-PG R4L; Jaden Simpson-NBA Collective; Josiah Sutton-NBA Collective; Amare Hamilton-Toronto City Elite; Keyshawn Summerville Prospectors; Darrien Petterson-North Coast Blue Chips; and Desomnd Briscoe-North Coast Blue Chips.

5^th Grade

Marcus Blackwell-PG-MWA Elite Nationals; Miguel Brand-SG Toronto City; Tyree Turner-Bridge City; Isaiah Marshall-Nova Village; Robert Cain-Bridge City; Wokem Wells-Team Teague; Markus Blackwell-MWA National; Cortez Freeman-Team Dos-Ohio Hoopsters; Dallas Tucker-Team Dos-Ohio Hoopsters; Jordan Dicksond-Toronto City Elite; Joan Crawford-All-Ohio Blue; and Mikkel Tynne-Toronto City Elite; Miguel Braun-Toronto City Elite; Idris Grant-Tronto City Elite; Nate Spaulding-Toronto City Elite; Isaiah Marshall.

6^th Grade

Reed Shepard – Team Teague Black – was the difference beating Team Teague White on Sunday; Jadi Cunningham PG-All-Ohio Red; Bedi Lori-WF All-Ohio Red; John Mobley Jr.-PG Miller Factory; Andrew Kidd-Tournament Time; Ryan Hurst-MWA Elite 2023 (MI); Jayvon Griffith-Kentucky Premier; Amire Robinson-North Coast Blue Chips; Brennan Verne-All-Ohio Red; Bradon Rose-TNBA East; Richie Koft-Miller Factory; Brennan-All-Ohio Red; Bedi Lori-All-Ohio Red; Chase Walker-All-Ohio Red; Brennan Lorne-All-Ohio Red; Michael Greenlee Jr.-Maumee Bay Turf-Jadi Cunningham-All-Ohio.

7^th Grade

Emory Bates-WF Bates Fundamental  Jacob Sunderland – Michigan Titans; Jordan Brooks – Bates Fundamental; Tayshawn Comer – Team Teague; Davon Smith – Court Leaders; Michael Bova-SG TNBA Shooting Stars; Tegan Myers-Mid-Ohio Pumas; Max Sullivan-Indiana Elite/Gametime; Will Futhey-Ohio Hoopster-Hill; Gabe Powers-Mid-Ohio Pumas; Paull McMillan IV-All-Ohio Red; Cameron Myles-All-Ohio Red; Josiah Harris-PF All-Ohio Red; Jerry Saunders-All-Ohio Red; Rasheed Jones-Team Teague; and Chrishon McCray-Team Teague.

Mikkel Tyne, Chrishon McCray, Mo Blackwell, Skyler Schmidt & ?

8^th Grade

Seth Wilson – NEO Tru Game - very good again on Sunday, sounds like both SVSM & St. Ed’s are vying for his services: Luke Chicone – Murphy AC – really skilled little player; Isaiah Walker – Cincinnati Royals Blue – good again on Sunday: Matthew Smith – Cincinnati Royals Blue; Landon Tillman – Ohio Hoopsters – Tillman; Carter Mimms – Dayton Wolves – good again on Sunday; Chance Amerson – Dayton – along with Mimms controlled the game in a win vs Maumee Bay Turf on Sunday; Skylar Schmidt – Cincinnati Royals White – Solid, controlled the paint in a Sunday win vs Dayton Wolves; Bryan Ottrix Jr, - Ginn Elite; Mike Skeryotis – All Ohio Phenom; Braydon Lichtenberg – Maumee Bay Turf; Joe Abas – OBC Black; Tyler Montague – Cincinnati Royals White; Kenyon Menifield – Comrade United Elite; JJ Truit – Buckeye Storm; Kobe Johnson – All Ohio Phenom; Malki Branham-Tru Game; Isaiah Walker – Cincinnati Royals Blue ; Palmer Diggio – PA Elite; Carter Mimms – Dayton Wolves; AJ Adams – All Ohio Gold; Noah Rittinger-Tru Game; Malaki Branham-Tru Game; Justin Garcia-Tru Game; and Greg Johnson-Cincinnati Royals White.

9^th Grade

Luke Lachey – All Ohio Black/Dream Tracker – Huge upside, still growing, played well in a loss on Sunday to All Ohio Gold; Chris Mayfield – Mid Ohio Pumas Black – got to the rim and scored inside in a loss vs CK2 Elite; Cam McCready – Mid Ohio Pumas Black – shot it well; Harley Day – Mid Ohio Pumas Black – good upside, good feet, & athletic for a 6’10 frosh; Zach Loveday – Mid Ohio Pumas Black – very solid player; Qian Magwood – CK2 Elite ran the show in a Sunday win vs Pumas Black; Cam Davis – CK2 Elite – athletic slasher, very active, scored around the rim & got to the basket; Dom Cole – CK2 Elite – good in the paint; Kendal Marshall – All Ohio Gold – Very good in a Sunday win vs All Ohio Elite; Mason Moffler – All Ohio Gold – solid all weekend; Jackson Sizemore – All Ohio Gold – also solid; Mitch Stewart – All Ohio Elite – solid all weekend; Fred Wilkes – All Ohio Elite – also solid all weekend; PJ or Jordan McCorkle – Ohio Knockout – was good again on Sunday; Brenden Lamb – Ohio Knockout – played well in a win vs NVB ballers; CJ Anthony – CK2 Elite; Nick Smith – All Ohio Elite; Taj Staneskie – Ohio Rebels; Garven Clarke – Ohio Rebels; Max Land – Adidas Probound Ohio 2020; Jake Warriner – Adidas Probound Ohio 2020; Eamon Straub – Steel Town South; PJ McCorkle – Ohio Knockout; Dewane Robinson – NU Vision Ballers; Cooper Justice – VCC Nova Alleyne; Willeone Yates – MVP Dynasty Black; Dimitri Mitsopolog-All-Ohio Gold.

10^th Grade

Ryan Greggs – All Ohio Select; Bryce Damous – Rail Cities Attack; Tommy Cummings – Summit Elite; Tanner Sevens-Rail City Attack; Wokem; Elijah Thomas-Ohio Varsity-Shooting Stars; Soul Hines-Ohio Varsity-Oho Hoopsters; Braylon Mitchell; Elijah Glenn-Ohio Varsity-Shooting Stars; and Garrick Hopkins-Rail Cities.

Championship Sunday Pics

Buckeye Prep Invitational A Great Success!

By most accounts, the 2017 Buckeye Prep Invitational was a great success! Not only did we have 168 teams (the most ever), many of the teams were elite and hailed from all over the country and Canada. You should know that my staff and I worked very hard to create a positive experience for our guests. Also, we would like to congratulate our champions and all of the teams and players that participated in our event. Over the next couple of days we will be publishing recaps as soon as we've had an opportunity to recharge!!  As a reminder, our next event, the Buckeye Prep Summer Showdown, is currently scheduled for June 16-18th here in Columbus.  We will only be accepting 68 teams, so spots are are limited.  Below are links to 2 videos that do a great job of providing some insight and context to the event.  Thanks again to everybody that attended the event and we hope to see you soon!

Tournament Video
Buckeye Prep Summer Showdown Information Page

Buckeye Prep Invitational-Day 2 Report

Javaughn Hannan, Paul McMillian IV, Bates, Trey Dennis & Elijah  Brown

Saturday at the Buckeye Prep Invitational featured a number of very talented teams and a number of standout performers.  We got our first look at Coach Elgin Bates’ Bates Fundamental squad and all we can say, impressive! Long, athletic, deep and great in transition best describes this team.  They put up big numbers, most which come from outlet passes and layups.  With their length, it’s also difficult to score in the paint.  What’s also clear about this team is the number of “prospects” on the roster.  From what we can tell, Bates could be on a collision course with Paul McMillian’s All-Ohio Red team and Indian Elite/Gametime in the lower bracket, both of which are very talented and more then capable of winning the whole thing. Of course you can't rule out Team Teague and the North Coast Blue Chips as possible road blocks to the championship. As of Saturday, North Coast Blue Chips, All-Ohio Red, Bates Fundamental, Indiana Elite/Gametime, TNBA Shooting Stars and the Lansing Prospectors are all sitting at 2-0.  

Below is a list of the standouts we saw: Javaughn Hannan (6’3/SG/2022/Mt. Clemens, MI). Emoni Bates (6’7/SG/WF/2022/Ypsilanti, MI), Paul McMillian IV (6’0/SG/2022/Cincinnati), Khalil Luster 5’2/PG/2022/Lima), Josiah Harris (6’3/PF/2022/Canton), Trey Dennis (6’0/CG/2022/Dayton), Elijah Brown (6’3/PF/2021/Huber Heights), Marlon Barnes (6’1/C/2023/Cleveland), Kellon Smith (5’8/ WF/ 2023/Shaker Heights), AJ Wheeler (4’11/PG/2023/Cleveland), Caleb Walker (5’4/SG/2023/Cleveland), Willie Stewart (5’11/WF/2022/Cleveland), Brevin Hallatt (6’2/C/Mt. Summit, IN), Brice Williams (5’3/PG/2022/Fishers, IN) and Alex Watters (5’9/SG/East Lansing, MI), Jeremiah Smith (PG All-Ohio White), Bedi Lori (SG All-Ohio Red), Seth Wilson (PG Tru Game), Amire Robinson (C North Coast Blue Chips), Isaiah Cambell-Finch (PG Team Dos-Ohio Hoopsters), Ben Cobler (WF COBBA Knights), Cole Cahill (Next Green) & Mason Docks (PG Lansing Prospectors). Sunday is championship time and each division will be highly contested.  Stay tuned for our Final day recap tomorrow.

Standout Performer Pictures

Day 2 Photo Gallery

Buckeye Prep Invitational-Day 1 Report

Emerson, Williams, McComb, Chicone & Hamrick

The 19^th Annual Buckeye Prep Invitational Tournament tipped off on Friday at Otterbein University in Columbus, Oh, and the 168-team event is already flexing its muscle.  Although there were only a few games on opening night, we have already seen some very compelling match-ups and several individual standout performances.  In the 8^th grade division, we watched a very competitive game between Tony Dixon’s Dayton Wolves and Devon Howard’s All-Ohio Howard. In fact, the game went right down to the wire before the wolves eventually pulled out a 58-55 victory.  Stars for the Wolves included the dynamic backcourt duo of Chance Amerson (6’0/PG/2021/Dayton) and Anthony McComb (6’0/PG/2021/Dayton), who led the Wolves in scoring with 19 and 17 points, respectively. For All-Ohio, Alex Williams (6’2/WF/2021/Dayton) carried the load, and as he does every time we seem him, Williams was seen powering his way to the cup with his linebacker built frame. 

Although Murphy AC went down to Ohio Hoopster-Tillman 64-61, Luke Chicone (5’4/PG/2021/Menter) logged in a solid opening night.  We’ve seen Chicone ball on several occasions in showcase situations, but his play on Friday confirmed he could excel in a team environment.  He’s small, but he’s also tough has nails, can score, and is dynamic.  Landon Tillman (5’0/PG/2021/Col) was the man for Ohio Hoopsters and led the team in scoring.  All-Ohio White’s Jaylen Simmons (5’3/PG/2022/Columbus) demonstrated that he’s a 3-level scorer, dropping 10 points in a 46-34 loss to the Mid-Ohio Pumas. Giovanni Roberts (5’7/SG/2022/Columbus) was the star and leading scorer for the Pumas.  From what we saw, Roberts can both shoot the rock from the perimeter and finish at the cup.

Pearson, Simmons, Schroeder, Roberts & Tillman

We also had a chance to check out some of the younger talent when All-Ohio Red and the Ohio Hoopsters 3^rd grade matched up.  All-Ohio jumped out to a big lead before Ohio Hoopsters came roaring back to win the game. We plan to keep an eye on Maurice Hamrick (PG/2027/Columbus), who is already super skilled, crafty and plays beyond his years.  As a matter of fact, only and second grader, Hamrick is playing up in the 3^rd grade division and is handling his business! We also liked Malici Pearson (PG/2026/Louisville, KY), who was a last minute pick up for the Hoopsters.  He’s an Ohio guy who is currently living in Louisville, KY.  Pearson arrived in Columbus with a solid reputation, and his play on Friday backed that up. We also saw some good things out of Treyton Schroeder (PG/2026/Lewis Center), who showed a solid skill set and can really score the rock at a high rate.

Some of the other standouts we saw on Friday included: Larry Stephens III (5’11/PG/202/Springfield), Jeffery Tolliver (5’9/SG/WF/20220/Springfield), Marquis Moore (6’2/CG/2020/Columbus), Shawn Thigpen (PF/2023/Dayton), and Braylon Mitchell (SG/2019/Columbus).  If what we saw on Friday is any indication of things to come, we should expect a high level of competition and intriguing match-ups for the rest of the weekend!  Please stay tuned to the Buckeye Prep Report as we continue our coverage of this prestigious event.  

Standout Performer Pictures

Day 1 Photo Gallery