Category Archives: Basketball

Current Oak Hill team is winningest in school history

February 21, 2012   JohnO   No comments
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Current Oak Hill team is winningest in school historyFebruary 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Oak Hill traveled to Red Springs, North Carolina Saturday afternoon to play a scrappy and dangerous Flora McDonald team. Oak Hill came away with a 73-51 victory and became the winningest team in school history.

Oak Hill jumped to a 23-13 first quarter lead and looked well in control before 6’6 senior WF Anton Wilson of Flora McDonald knocked in five straight 3 pointers in the second period to tighten the score. Wilson was simply unconscious during this stretch as he converted on deep 3’s that were heavily contested shots. Oak Hill led 36-29 at the half, but a huge third quarter opened the lead to 57-37 dictated by a solid all around defensive effort.

Oak Hill was led by the backcourt trio of Jordan Adams, D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera and Tyler Lewis. Adams and Smith-Rivera finished with 24 points each while Lewis recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists. Adams went 6-12 from the floor (4-7 from the 3 point line) and also went a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line. Adams also collected 5 rebounds (4 defensive), had 2 steals and dished out 2 assists. Smith-Rivera went 8-17 from the floor (1-3 from the 3 point line) and also went a perfect 7-7 from the free throw line. Smith-Rivera also dished out 4 assists.

PG Tyler Lewis was efficient in the backcourt as he ran the Oak Hill offense to perfection. Lewis went 5-6 from the floor and only committed one turnover to his 10 assists. Darion Clark scored 9 points going 3-4 from the floor and 3-4 from the free throw line, but had a monster game on the boards. Clark collected 11 rebounds with 10 of them being defensive rebounds. To round a solid game, Clark also had 2 steals, 1 block, and even had 3 assists. Montarius Hall chipped in 4 points going 2-4 from the floor and also collected 9 rebounds. AJ Hammons only scored 2 points, but collected 5 rebounds and blocked 3 shots. 6’6 Anton Wilson was the game’s leading scorer with 30 points. Wilson knocked in eight 3 pointers and showcased why he is one of the top unsigned shooting wings in the 2012 class. 6’8 junior DeVaughn Anthony also chipped in 8 points for Flora McDonald.

Oak Hill shot 24-50 from the floor for 48% while Flora McDonald shot 28%. Oak Hill shot an impressive 20-22 from the free throw line and took command of the boards with 35 rebounds. Another key statistic for Oak Hill was the ability to share the basketball and the team recorded 22 assists for the game while only committing 5 turnovers. Oak Hill now moves to 41-0 for the season and have 3 remaining games in their regular season before traveling to China to play in a 9 games against international competition.

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Getting to know Dr. Dunk Damien Wilson

February 20, 2012   JohnO   No comments

Getting to know Dr. Dunk Damien WilsonFebruary 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Former UCLA coaching great John Wooden once stated “adversity is the state in which man most easily becomes acquainted with himself” and this statement is perfect for Oak Hill’s 6’6 WF Damien Wilson. Wilson has enjoyed an absolutely stellar AAU career with teammate Jordan Adams and was a starter for Oak Hill as a junior. In the pre-season, Damien Wilson was saddled with a foot injury that kept him out of early season workouts along with missing the first game of the season. With the influx of new players on the Oak Hill roster, Wilson went from being a starter as a junior to coming off the bench as a senior. Most players would not take too kindly to the idea, but in speaking with Wilson he fully understands the 2011-12 Oak Hill Warriors’ team is deeper and more talented than the season before where they went 29-4. The adversity that Damien Wilson faced is just what many talented young players face when they get to college. During this time, Wilson has become more acquainted with himself and feels good about things which in itself are an important life skill.

Damien’s nickname is appropriately named Dr. Dunk as he is second on the team with the most dunks behind 7’0 senior center AJ Hammons. For the season, Wilson is averaging 5.6 PPG for the currently undefeated Oak Hill Warriors. He has shot 48% from the floor going 80-164 while connecting on 39-51 free throws for 76.5%. More importantly, Wilson is fourth in team assists and it is unselfishness that has made a big impression on me. Playing on a high profile team such as Oak Hill, it is often easy for players to think of themselves and try to pad their statistics during games where the outcome has been decided early in the contest. That being said, Wilson will always make the extra pass at the expense of padding his own scoring statistics. While having the national reputation of an athletic scorer, he is often under-rated in terms of his ball handling and especially his ball handling skills. For his size and position, Wilson has advanced ball handling abilities and dribbles with his head up making many no look passes off the dribble. In addition, he is extremely dangerous in the open court when he is isolated one on one with the opposing player.

In an early season game against Next Level Prep of Canada, Wilson was outstanding by scoring 15 points going 5-10 from the floor and a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line. In addition, he collected 5 rebounds and had 1 steal, block and assist for a solid all around game. In the game against Atlantic Shores, Wilson finished with 19 points going 7-8 from the floor and 5-5 from the free throw line. In that one game alone, Wilson had a career high six dunks in the game. However, his game against Memphis Craigmont is a good example of his numbers this season when he scored 5 points going 2-5 from the floor, but collected 5 rebounds, 5 steals and even dished out 4 assists or better yet his game against Galax HS where he had 16 points going 6-7 from the floor including 4-4 from the free throw line. In that game, he also collected 7 rebounds, 4 steals and had 5 assists. To put it simply, he makes the most use of his time on the court and tries extremely hard to do things other than score which is a testament to him as a player.

Wilson is a long and bouncy athletic WF that loves to get out in transition where he can utilize his speed, quickness and leaping ability. Without question Wilson has enjoyed some of the best “mix tape” dunks for the Warriors. He is aggressive in attacking the basket and has an extremely quick first step. While Wilson has not enjoyed the number of minutes this season has the season prior, he has no complaints. He has handled the transition with style and grace and said “he has nothing to complain about. The team is winning and that is what it is all about.” Asked what he liked about this year’s team, he was quick to point out “this is the goofiest team he has ever been associated it. While the practice sessions are intense, serious and sometimes confrontational, we are all clowns off the court.” Without question, you can sense a certain degree of togetherness on this year’s team and can see why so many Oak Hill fans say this is their favorite Oak Hill team in quite some time. In addition, when I ask a lot of the kids on the team one of their favorite players, Damien Wilson is always in the mix and one player stated “Damien is one of the nicest players you will ever meet.”

There is an old saying “success in the affairs of life often serves to hide one’s abilities, whereas adversity frequently gives one an opportunity to discover them.” For Damien Wilson, he has done just that and has learned a lot of life lessons during his tenure at Oak Hill. Damien Wilson has learned to be a great teammate. He is not jealous or envious of other people’s success and he has a quiet humbleness that is impressive. Wilson is always one of the first players off the bench to clap, cheer and congratulate a teammate for doing well. In addition, after every game Wilson is always one of the first players to come up to me and say “thanks for coming and appreciate your support.”

Damien Wilson long term goals are to get a degree from Memphis University as communication arts major and someday become a sports announcer. In the meantime, his game is built for college and should flourish in the up tempo system at Memphis. One thing is for certain, the lessons he has learned at Oak Hill will pay huge dividends once he steps onto the campus at Memphis. I have no doubt Wilson will be solid contributor, but even yet he will be a better teammate.

September 2011 Issue
Player: 6’6 Damien Wilson
High School: Oak Hill Academy
Hometown: Austell, GA
Class: 2012
Verbal: Memphis
Phenom Hoop Report: Wilson is a long and bouncy wing guard that loves to get out in transition. The southpaw is excellent in attacking the basket and sports a “wicked” right to left crossover dribble. Without question, one of the top “slashers” in the 2012 class and is very difficult to contain in transition. He has smoothness to his game and often plays bigger than his current 6’6 frame. He anticipates missed shots and rebounds extremely well, especially on the defensive end of the floor. The next step in his development is to develop a consistent outside jumper. He does have a “low release” point at times, but was knocking down mid range shots well in shooting drills. He should be a great addition to Memphis.

November 2011 Issue
Comment: Wilson was saddled with a foot injury earlier in the season and has also sat out a game due to discipline reasons. That being said, “Dr. Dunk” has averaged 6.7 shot per game and has gone 28-54 from the floor for 52%. In addition, he has been stellar from the free throw line going 12-14 for 86%.  Wilson is explosive in the open court and has a burst of speed that is second to none

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DUKE UNIVERSITY, USA BASKETBALL COACH MIKE KRZYZEWSKI TO BE HONORED GUEST AT 5TH ANNUAL FRED BARAKAT SPORTS DINNER

February 07, 2012   JohnO
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DUKE UNIVERSITY, USA BASKETBALL COACH MIKE KRZYZEWSKI TO BE HONORED GUEST AT 5TH ANNUAL FRED BARAKAT SPORTS DINNER

 

 

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Duke University men’s basketball and USA Olympic basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski will be the honored guest and keynote speaker at the fifth annual Fred Barakat Sports Dinner, it was announced today.  The annual Greensboro Sports Dinner, presented by the Greensboro Sports Council, was renamed in 2010 in memory of Fred Barakat, the late associate commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference.  This year’s event is set for Tuesday, April 17 on the Greensboro Coliseum arena floor. 

The winningest coach in college basketball history, Krzyzewski has led the Duke University men’s basketball team for more than three decades.  In addition to his four National Championships (1991, ’92, 2001 and ’10), Krzyzewski has 12 National Coach of the Year Honors, 11 Final Four appearances among 27 NCAA Tournament bids, 12 ACC regular-season championships and 13 ACC Tournament championships. He has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference coach of the year five times.  After winning his third National Championship in 2001, Krzyzewski was named to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. 

“It is a privilege to have been chosen as the keynote speaker for this event named after a dear friend of mine, the late Fred Barakat,” said Krzyzewski. “Even after his passing, Fred’s impact on the ACC and the sport of college basketball is still felt today. The Greensboro Sports Council always runs a first-class event, and April 17 will be no different. The city of Greensboro has been the site of so many outstanding moments for Duke Basketball, which will make the night even more special.”

Krzyzewski is also the coach of the United States National Basketball Team.  In his first term as the Team USA Coach, Krzyzewski guided the team to the Gold Medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.  Coach K also led the United States to a gold medal in the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship. Krzyzewski will coach Team USA again this summer when the Olympic Games are contested in London.

            “Fred Barakat was instrumental in starting this annual sports dinner featuring prominent sports figures,” Fred Barakat Sports Dinner chairman Richard Beard said.  “We are so fortunate to have Fred’s close friend, Coach K, join us for this year’s event despite his extremely busy schedule.  Fred loved Greensboro and the Greensboro Coliseum; he was active in the Greensboro Sports Council so it was only fitting to continue his legacy in our community by naming this event in his memory.  That someone such as Mike Krzyzewski would take time out of his schedule to join us for this event is a testament to what Fred Barakat meant to college basketball.”

Barakat joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1981 as the supervisor of men’s basketball officials.  He was later named assistant commissioner and was then promoted to associate commissioner, director of men’s basketball. For 16 years he served as the ACC tournament director along with his other basketball responsibilities that included scheduling, managing the league’s television partners and officiating. He passed away in 2010.

The Fred Barakat Sports Dinner highlights significant figures in or related to the Atlantic Coast Conference or one of its sports.  Former ACC commissioner Gene Corrigan was the event’s inaugural guest in 2008.  ESPN college basketball analyst and Duke Alumnus Jay Bilas followed in 2009 while CBS Sports college basketball analyst Clark Kellogg was the 2010 guest. ESPN College basketball analyst Dick Vitale was last year’s guest.

Founded in 1959, the Greensboro Sports Council is a support group for the Greensboro Coliseum Complex providing hospitality, resources and community interaction for events held in the Coliseum Complex.  In recent years, the Sports Council has expanded its traditional role to support sports events in Greensboro and Guilford County such as the Wyndham Championship PGA TOUR event, US Figure Skating Championships, the ACC Women’s Golf Tournament at Sedgefield Country Club, the ACC Baseball Tournament when applicable and any NCAA Championships hosted in the area.  The Greensboro Sports Council is also involved with the national swimming and diving championship events scheduled in the Greensboro Aquatics Center later this year. 

In addition, the Council hosts the Pizza Hut Invitational presented by NewBridge Bank high school basketball tournament.  This annual event donates its proceeds to charity and the participating schools each year.

The Fred Barakat Sports Dinner is the Sports Council’s only major fundraising event; proceeds from the dinner help offset expenses associated with hosting the many events supported by the Sports Council each year. The Greensboro Sports Council thanks event sponsors the Wyndham Championship, Premier Commercial Bank, Senn Dunn Insurance and Auto Owners Insurance for underwriting the 2012 event as well as in-kind sponsor, the Greensboro News & Record.  The Fred Barakat Sports Dinner is open to the general public; individual tickets, $75, and tables of 10, $750, are available for purchase through the Greensboro Sports Commission at (336) 378-4499.

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BARBOUR BREAKS HPU 3 POINT RECORD I 81-77 WIN

February 05, 2012   JohnO
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HIGH POINT, N.C. — Senior guard Nick Barbour scored 34 points, including a three-pointer that forced overtime and a trey in overtime, to lead the High Point University men’s basketball team to an 81-77 win over Gardner-Webb on Saturday night in the Millis Center. Barbour broke the HPU career record for three-pointers in the game.

“It was a huge win for us, we really needed it and it shows how resilient our kids are,” said HPU head coach Scott Cherry. “We were down 10 and came back. I guess karma changed around this time for us after they came back and beat us in overtime at their place a month ago. It was our turn to come back and win the way we did tonight. We got a lot of contributions from a lot of different guys and that’s what it’s going to take for us to move up in the league and put ourselves in a good position for the tournament.”

Barbour entered the game with 281 three-pointers and went 7-for-10 from beyond the arc against Gardner-Webb, breaking Eugene Harris’s HPU record of 283 that he set from 2006-10. Barbour went 9-for-15 from the floor and 9-for-10 from the line to make up his 34 points. He scored 28 points in the second half and overtime combined.

Senior guard Shay Shine scored 15 points and led HPU with six rebounds. Freshman Devante Wallace made his first career start and scored 13 points, including three three-pointers.

David Brown led Gardner-Webb with 15 points and six rebounds on the night. Tashan Newsome added 12 points and eight rebounds and freshman Max Landis came away with 10 points.

High Point improved to 9-15 overall and 5-9 in the Big South while Gardner-Webb fell to 10-15 overall and 5-8 in league play.

High Point had trailed by 10 points (62-52) when Brown hit a three-pointer with 3:09 remaining, but the Panthers closed the second half on a 15-5 run to force the extra period. With 46 seconds remaining in regulation, Barbour hit a three-pointer to bring the game within three points (65-62). On the next possession, Barbour was fouled while shooting and made two free-throws. Gardner-Webb’s Laron Buggs then made two free-throws of his own taking the game back to three points with 20 seconds remaining.

With 0.6 seconds on the clock, Barbour dialed up a three on a handoff from Shione, which tied the game at 67-67 and sent it into overtime.

HPU sophomore Justin Cheek hit a free throw and sophomore Travis Elliott hit a layup under the basket to put High Point up by three to start overtime. The Runnin’ Bulldogs’ followed it up with a layup by Tyler Strange and a Landis three-pointer to take a 72-70 lead with 1:29 left in OT.

Barbour shot back with his seventh three-pointer of the game to give HPU the lead back for good with under a minute remaining. Xavier Martin and Barbour both hit free-throws and Shine drained four from the stripe to put the game away for the Panthers. Landis hit a three-pointer with 11 seconds on the clock and hit two free throws with five seconds left, both times bringing the game within two points, but Martin hit his last two free throws to make it an 81-77 final.

Wallace hit a jumper to start the game and hit a three-pointer coming out of halftime, pacing the Panthers with his best game against a Div. I opponent. He went 5-for-8 from the floor.

Gardner-Webb outrebounded High Point, 43-28, but the Panthers made up for it by shooting 53.6 percent (15-for-28) from three-point range.

High Point makes its beach trip next weekend, taking on Coastal Carolina on Thursday and Charleston Southern on Saturday. The last time HPU faced Coastal Carolina, the Chanticleers eked out a 55-52 win at the Millis Center.

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GABRIEL LOWDER KNOCKS IN 10 3 POINTERS (36 points) IN GUILFORD WIN

February 02, 2012   JohnO
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GREENSBORO, N.C. – Gabriel Lowder (Yadkinville, N.C./North Forsyth) made a school-record 10 three-pointers and scored a career-high 36 points in Guilford College’s 89-72 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) basketball victory over Roanoke College Wednesday night.

Lowder, a senior guard, made his first nine three-point shots before his first and only miss, which came with five minutes left in the game. He got another look with 3:10 to play and drilled his 10th three of the game from the top of the key, besting the previous Guilford standard shared by Clay Henson ’10 and Jordan Snipes ’07. Lowder made 10-of-11 threes and missed the ODAC standard for treys in a game by one. His 90.9 three-point field-goal percentage is also tops in school history for shooters with more than six threes in a game.

Lowder hit two three-pointers and Josh Pittman (Archdale, N.C./Trinity) added another during a 14-1 Guilford run to start the second half. The game was tied at 28 with 6:13 left in the first half before Lowder scored eight points in a 14-8 Quakers’ run that ended the half. His previous career scoring high was 21 points and he had 22 by halftime in tonight’s game.

Guilford (15-6, 9-3 ODAC) shot 63 percent from the floor in the second half and 51.6% for the game. The Quakers made 14-of-22 three-pointers for a .636 percentage that stands second in school history. Teammate Carson Sullivan (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Christian (Pennsylvania)) contributed 10 points, five rebounds and three assists. Rookie Matt McCarthy chipped in eight points off the bench.

Roanoke’s Logan Singleton (Roanoke, Va./Hidden Valley) tried to keep pace with Lowder, making five-of-10 three-pointers and scoring a game-high 26 points. He also had seven rebounds and a game-high five steals. Kwasi Amponsah added 18 points, right at his league-leading average, plus a game-high seven assists.

The Quakers, who have won six of their last seven games, host league-rival Washington and Lee University next Wednesday (2/8) at 7:00 p.m. Roanoke (6-14, 2-9 ODAC) hosts league-leading Virginia Wesleyan College Saturday (2/4) at 2:00 p.m.

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Newspaper Box Score
Roanoke vs Guilford
02/01/12 7:00 pm at Greensboro, NC – Ragan-Brown Field House
At Greensboro, NC – Ragan-Brown Field House
GUILFORD 89, ROANOKE 72
ROANOKE (6-14, 2-9 ODAC)
SINGLETON, Logan 9-19 3-3 26; AMPONSAH, Kwasi 6-13 4-6 18; LACY, Clay 3-6
0-0 8; BARRETT, Zach 3-7 2-2 8; HUMPHRIES, Ethan 2-2 0-0 4; RAMIREZ, Julian
1-3 1-2 3; HAMILTON, Jack 1-3 0-0 3; WEANT, Alexander 1-1 0-0 2; EACHO,
Daniel 0-0 0-0 0; AKERS, Tyler 0-0 0-0 0; KESSLER, Adam 0-2 0-0 0; VULEVIC,
Stefan 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 26-58 10-13 72.
GUILFORD (15-6, 9-3 ODAC)
LOWDER, Gabriel 12-17 2-3 36; SULLIVAN, Carson 4-9 2-2 10; McCARTHY, Matt
3-5 0-1 8; FREEMAN, Will 1-6 4-6 6; EFIRD, Gene 2-4 2-2 6; PITTMAN, Josh 2-9
0-0 6; GIBBS, Kevin 2-3 1-3 5; STAFFORD, Justin 2-3 0-0 4; HINTON, Jarred
2-3 0-0 4; ROBBINS, James 1-1 0-0 2; TURPIN, Clarence 1-1 0-0 2; CLOYD, Will
0-0 0-0 0; MONROE, Brad 0-1 0-0 0; HOPKINS, Jake 0-0 0-0 0; KOPPENHAVER,
Will 0-0 0-0 0; TRACY, Travis 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-62 11-17 89.
Roanoke…………………..   36   36  -   72
Guilford………………….   42   47  -   89
3-point goals–Roanoke 10-26 (SINGLETON, Logan 5-10; AMPONSAH, Kwasi 2-4;
LACY, Clay 2-5; HAMILTON, Jack 1-2; VULEVIC, Stefan 0-1; RAMIREZ, Julian
0-2; BARRETT, Zach 0-2), Guilford 14-22 (LOWDER, Gabriel 10-11; McCARTHY,
Matt 2-4; PITTMAN, Josh 2-5; HINTON, Jarred 0-1; SULLIVAN, Carson 0-1).
Fouled out–Roanoke-None, Guilford-None. Rebounds–Roanoke 28 (LACY, Clay
9), Guilford 39 (MONROE, Brad 6). Assists–Roanoke 16 (AMPONSAH, Kwasi 7),
Guilford 20 (PITTMAN, Josh 4; EFIRD, Gene 4; MONROE, Brad 4). Total
fouls–Roanoke 19, Guilford 14. Technical fouls–Roanoke-None,
Guilford-None. A-359
Old Dominion Athletic Conference game
Guilford’s Gabriel Lowder set the school record for three pointers in a game
with 10.

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PHENOM HOOP REPORT FROM THE PENNY HARDAWAY HOOP FEST

January 24, 2012   JohnO
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Phenom Hoop Report

 

Scouting Report: Monday, January 23rd, 2012

Event: Penny Hardaway’s Hoop Fest

Evaluator: Rick Lewis

Twitter: @Coach_Rick57

Website: www.phenomhoopreport.com

Phenom Quote of the Day: “Play as a team and eliminate all thoughts of personal glory.”

Phenom Hoop Report Philosophy: “Balanced, thorough and detailed evaluations based upon the 3 P’s philosophy of Performance, Production, and Potential”

In today’s issue, we will take a close look at the inaugural Penny Hardaway Hoopfest that was held at Memphis White Station High School on January 20-21st, 2012. The Hoopfest was a showcase of national teams going up against the best teams in the Memphis area. More importantly, tournament director Travis Haddock put together a well organized and professional tournament with the proceeds going directly to the St. Jude Children Research Hospital. In speaking with Mr. Haddock, the tournament raised over $7,000 that will be donated to this worthy cause. Congratulations to Mr. Haddock for a successful and enjoyable tournament! According to Mr. Haddock, “the talent in Memphis is as good as anywhere else in America and far better than most places, it is extremely rare to have elite teams from other regions come play here. Perhaps part of the problem is that Memphis prep teams are feared, or maybe the larger reason is that no one in this area has put forth the effort to invite the best teams in the country to an event in the Bluff City.” One thing is for certain, the players and teams from Memphis play extremely hard and competitive no matter the competition.

In the one Friday afternoon contest, it was Our Savior New American (New York) winning 62-55 over Ensworth of Tennessee. Ensworth is a traditional Tennessee 2A power house and has won two of the last three Tennessee 2A state championships. Leading the way for Our Savior 6’2 senior guard Nick Lewis with 16 points. He went 5-12 from the floor (2-7 from the 3 point line) and an automatic 4-4 from the free throw line. Lewis is a silky smooth WG that has excellent athleticism and has an outstanding shooter’s touch. Nick Lewis is definitely one of the top unsigned senior shooting guards in the country. 6’1 8th grader Devonte Green played like a season’s veteran and tallied 10 points. However, the best player on the court was 6’9 Christopher Obekpa as he finished with 11 points going 5-7 from the floor and 1-2 from the free throw line. While the official statistician had Obekpa down for 7 rebounds, but it did indeed seem like he had more than indicated and had at least a half dozen block shots. Without question, Obekpa has to be one of the top unsigned senior big men in the country. Obekpa is oozing with raw talent and athleticism and like many athletic big men; their defense is more advanced than their offensive game, although Obekpa went an impressive 5-7 from the floor. Enswoth was led by 6’2 senior guard William Downey who finished with 19 points. Downey went 7-14 from the floor (5-12 from the 3 point line). In addition, it was 5’10 junior PG Corn Elder that contributed in a big way as well as he chipped in 11 points and even more impressive 8 rebounds. Ensworth went 22-56 from the floor (8-32 from the 3 point) and only shot 3-3 from the free throw line. On the other hand, Our Savior went 25-49 from the floor (3-11 from the 3 point line) and 9-18 from the free throw line. The biggest lead for My Savior was 18 points, but the relentless and aggressive Ensworth team made the game competitive down the stretch.

In the next contest, it was the Oak Hill Warriors earning a hard fought win over defending Tennessee state 3A champions Craigmont. Oak Hill won the contest by the score of 69-66; it was the clutch free throw throwing that secured the victory. Oak Hill was led by 6’6 WF Jordan Adams with 24 points. Adams went 9-15 from the floor (2-6 from the 3 point line) and a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line. Tyler Lewis and D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera both finished with 14 points. Lewis went 4-11 from the floor (1-3 from the 3 point line) and 5-6 from the free throw line. Smith-Rivera went 3-9 from the floor (0-1 from the 3 point line) and an impressive 8-9 from the free throw line with many of them coming in the last minute of play. Smith-Rivera was saddled with foul trouble as he picked up his 4th foul late in the 3rd quarter, but he played smart and avoided any other fouls. 7’0 AJ Hammons finished with 8 points going 3-3 from the floor and 2-2 from the free throw line. He had 8 rebounds and 4 blocked shots for the game and a two crucial blocks in the final minute of play. Hammons committed an unusual seven turnovers for the Warriors as being his only negative for the game. 6’1 junior guard Sam Craft led the way for Craigmont with 18 points. Craft went 8-16 from the floor (2-3 from the 3 point line) while backcourt guard Jordan Washington tallied 15 points going 9-12 from the floor (2-5 from the 3 point line) and 3-4 from the free throw line. In addition, Ladarius Coleman chipped in 10 points for the upset minded Craigmont.

Oak Hill took a 14 point lead in the 3rd quarter, but Craigmont outscored Oak Hill by converting on 7-10 three point shots in the second half and we are talking about downtown 3 pointers for Craigmont. Oak Hill shot 23-48 from the floor for 48% (3-11 from the 3 point line for 27%) but won the game at the free throw line going an impressive 20-24 for the game. On the other hand, Craigmont went 27-58 from the floor for 47% (7-15 from the 3 point line) and only went 5-8 from the free throw line. Oak Hill is now 30-0 for the season.

In the Friday night finally, it was Montverde of Florida squeaking out a 76-70 victory over Memphis White Station. Montverde was led by 6’1 junior PG Kasey Hill (Florida verbal) with 21 points going 7-12 from the floor (1-1 from the 3 point line) and 4-7 from the free throw line. His performance Friday night showcased why he is considered one of the premier point guards in the 2013 class. Hill is known more of a slashing PG that loves to dribble penetrate and finish near or around the basket illustrated a diversified game with a much improved ability to knock down open jumpers. Hill’s jumper has excellent elevation, and his shot has beautiful rotation that makes him more of an offensive threat on the court. In addition to Hill, 6’3 senior SG Michael Frazier (Florida signee) and 6’9 Anthony Perez (Ole Miss Signee) were equally impressive. Frazier and Perez both scored 21 and 18 points respectively. The trio of Hill, Frazier, and Perez combined to score 60 of the team’s 76 points. Leading the way for White Station was 6’7 sophomore sensation Leon Black with a game high 28 points and a whopping 13 rebounds for the impressive double-double performance. Black went 8-18 from the floor (0-4 from the 3 point line) and 12-15 from the free throw line. Simply put, Black was exceptional for the home team. In addition, 5’8 freshman PG Niche Smith is a name to put in the memory bank. Smith tallied 17 points going an efficient 5-8 from the floor (1-2 from the 3 point line) and 6-8 from the free throw line. Smith has tremendous speed and quickness, but utilizes the stutter step and reverse spin dribble move to perfection. Throughout the game, it looked like Montverde was in total command but the competitive spirit and passionate play of White Station took a one point lead with approximately 3 minutes left in the game. Montverde rallied and then went on an 11-0 run to ice the game for the visitors from Florida.

While the action on Friday night was fast and furious, the action on Saturday was filled with the upset by Memphis Ridgeway over Montverde by the score of 73-69. Montverde enjoyed a lead of 9 points midway through the first half and again appeared well on their way to another win, but Ridgeway kept bouncing back and pulled off the upset. For Ridgeway, it was a total team effort and balance scoring was the call of the day as four Ridgeway players scored in double figures. Leading the way was 6’6 senior WF Kordario Fleming with 16 points, while 6’0 senior PG Cameron Golden and 6’3 senior SG Adam Wearly both tallied 15 points while 6’7 senior PF Craig Hill chipped in 11 points. Fleming and Wearly are both strong and athletic WF/PF that is bouncy and aggressive, but the one player that stood out was senior PG Cameron Golden. Golden was tough as nails and also sports excellent athleticism but managed to dictate and control the tempo for Ridgeway. Leading the way for Montverde was senior SG Michael Frazier who had two excellent back to back performances. Frazier finished with a game high 29 points going 9-15 from the floor (5-10 from the 3 point line) and a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line. Frazier was the only player for Montverde in double figures while 6’9 Anthony Perez was close with 8 points. Unfortunately for Montverde, 6’1 junior PG Kasey Hill had an off night with 6 points going 2-9 from the floor (0-3 from the 3 point line) and 2-4 from the free throw line. The game was tied 9 times and had 6 lead changes and the game went right down to the wire before Ridgeway pulled off the huge upset.

Up next was the game between Oak Hill and another traditional Memphis powerhouse Melrose. Oak Hill jumped on Melrose early and was clicking on all cylinders and took a commanding 59-33 lead, but Melrose rallied to make the game closer at the end before the Warriors pulled out the 76-71 win. Leading the way for Oak Hill was 6’3 senior WG D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera with 26 points. Smith-Rivera went 8-17 from the floor (6-10 from the 3 point line) and a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line and also dished out 5 assists.  6’6 Jordan Adams chipped in 22 points going 8-14 from the floor (3-7 from the 3 point line) and 3-4 from the free throw line while backcourt PG Tyler Lewis chipped in 19 points. Lewis went 5-12 from the floor (3-8 from the 3 point line) and perfect 6-6 free throws. In addition, Lewis dished out 6 assists. Jordan Adams also collected 7 rebounds, had 2 steals, 2 blocks and dished out 3 assists for a solid all around performance. The trio of Smith-Rivera, Adams and Lewis combined for 67 of the 76 points scored. Leading the way for Melrose was 6’5 junior WG Markel Crawford with 26 points. Crawford went 11-20 from the floor (1-7 from the 3 point line) and 3-4 from the free throw line. Three other players for Melrose scored in double figures with 6’2 senior SG Davonte Hampton chipped in 15 points while 6’7 sophomore PF Chris Jefferson chipped in 11 points while 5’10 junior PG Kenneth Goodwin tallied 10 points. The key different in the game was the deadly outside shooting of Oak Hill as they converted on 14-29 3 pointers for 48.3% while Ridgeway went 8-27 for 29.6%.

In the finally for Saturday night, it was Simeon of Chicago going away with the win by the score of 73-54. 6’8 junior Jabari Parker and 6’8 senior PF Steve Taylor were both equally impressive for Simeon as both recorded a double-double. Parker finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds as he went 8-12 from the floor. On the other hand and not to be outdone by Parker, Taylor played probably one of his best games of the year. Taylor tallied 17 points and 10 rebounds, but Taylor shown more of a power game against Southwind. 6’5 junior elite level athlete JaJuan Johnson led the way with 21 points while 6’9 junior Jonathan Williams tallied 15 points. Without question, Johnson showcased his high level athleticism and his acrobatic dunks simply brought the house down on several occasions. Johnson has the rare blend of explosiveness and skill as he has a feathery touch from the outside. In addition, Williams will make a great face up PF at the next level as he too showcased his ability to step out and knock down the open 15 foot jumper.

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Phenom report 1/19/12

January 19, 2012   JohnO
imagesCAMGTDLZ

 

Phenom Hoop Report

 

Scouting Report: Thursday, January 19th, 2012

Event: Player Profile- AJ Hammons

Evaluator: Rick Lewis

Twitter: @Coach_Rick57

Website: www.phenomhoopreport.com

Phenom Quote of the Day: “Play as a team and eliminate all thoughts of personal glory.”

Phenom Hoop Report Philosophy: “Balanced, thorough and detailed evaluations based upon the 3 P’s philosophy of Performance, Production, and Potential”

While the Phenom Hoop Report is a relatively newcomer to the scouting business, no one in the business provides a more thoroughly and detailed evaluation of prospects. We have been in business for approximately three years and our service has grown tremendously in this short period of time. First, the Phenom Hoop report provides evaluations based upon the 3 P’s philosophy of PERFORMANCE, PRODUCTIVITY, and POTENTIAL and has used the 3 legged approach of using evaluations from high school, AAU and exposure events as a basis for our thorough and detailed evaluations. Second, we have provided an in depth analysis of player’s intangibles and discovered players before they became household names on the national recruiting circuit. Third, we dive into the fact that the most important intangible in a recruit is their ability to produce WINS and make their team better! (What a novel idea!) Fourth, we try to provide both positive and constructive evaluations based upon their actual play, and not always on their sheer potential. There is no question that many of today’s showcased/hyped players simply don’t know how to win and simply don’t know how to play team basketball. At the end of the day, basketball is still a team sport and we will continue to report how prospects perform in terms of performance and productivity and not just hype and potential. The words of former great UCLA Coach John Wooden are a perfect example of my illustration today. “The more you give, the more you get.  Everyone wants to be around those who give because they are winners.  You can gain great satisfaction from helping someone/ your team reaches their goal. Basketball is a great opportunity to help your teammates.  You can help them score by passing them the ball, help them out on defense if they get beat and in general make the other players around you better by being unselfish. Also remember that helping others can be small acts of kindness every single day, not just big ones.”

 

First order of today is to dedicate today’s issue of the Phenom Hoop Report to Coach Freddy Johnson of Greensboro Day School. On January 7th, Coach Johnson recorded his 819 career victory making him the winningest coach in North Carolina high school history. I first met Coach Johnson four years ago when both my sons were playing for Forsyth Country Day. At the time, Greensboro Day was the school’s biggest rival. Over the past four years, FCDS and GDS had some great contests, but the thing that stood out about Coach Johnson is he is a great high school coach, but even a better human being. His teams are all about fundamentals and playing the game the right way. Without question, Coach Freddy Johnson is a class act and a true friend today.

BLAST FROM THE PAST MOMENT

Often, we like to go back to the Phenom Hoop Report archives and examine our comments when many players were not household names. In today’s “Blast from the Past” moment we will look at current freshman Anthony Davis of Kentucky.

June 21st, 2010 Issue

Player: 6’10 Anthony Davis

High School: Perspective Church

Hometown: Chicago, IL

Commitment: Undecided

While watching Davis, I was impressed with his overall skill sets. He has good ball handling and passing skills for a young 6’10 prospect, plus he had good mechanics on his jump shot and especially his free throws. Davis was named the camp’s MOP (Most Outstanding Prospect) and deservingly so!  There is little doubt Davis is a top 10 prospect and could easily be a top 5 prospect after his consistent and impressive performance at the 4 day event. While Davis is long and athletic, one cannot question his ability to his physical attributes, but also the intangibles. On the defensive end, his length causes problems for opposing offensive players, and once the ball is rebounded, you can count on Davis running the floor in transition. He has extremely good hand-eye coordination, but also possesses extremely soft hands. While Davis is effective on the interior, he can step out and knock down the open jumper, but more importantly is his ability to put the ball on the floor.  Remember, Davis was 6’3 last year and grew 6 inches in one year so this may explain his ability to handle the ball and make excellent passes. He is also fundamentally sound and has outstanding basketball IQ. When you add this athletic ability along with his size and length plus his fundamentals, you are talking about one of the high elite level players in the 2011 class.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PHENOM HOOP REPORT FEATURE PLAYER

 

Our feature player today is 7’0 AJ Hammons of Oak Hill Academy. We will examine the future Boilermaker with earlier evaluations and today’s evaluation of the talented center. The first time we observed AJ Hammons was the summer of 2010 at the Nike Hoop Jamboree in St. Louis, Missouri.

June 23rd, 2010 Issue

Player: 6’11 A.J.  Hammons

High School: Carmel HS

City: Carmel, IN

Class: 2012

Phenom Hoop Report: HM

6’11 big man that runs the floor and has good hands is truly a blessing.  Hammons has solid fundamentals and has good moves in the paint.  He displayed a jump hook using either hand. Hammons has the ability to step out and knock down the mid range jumper, and displays a rather nice soft shooting touch. On the other hand, Hammons needs to improve his “toughness” and play at a higher level on a more consistent basis. Hammons has all the physical tools and a compliment of fundamentals and skill, but definitely needs to develop more passion and heart during an event. Hammons started off the event with a bang, but his play definitely tampered off after each camp game. Hammons best game was his first & second game.

 

September 2nd, 2011 Issue

Player: 6’11 A.J. Hammons

High School: Oak Hill Academy

Hometown: Carmel, IN

Class: 2012

Phenom Hoop Report: We first watched Hammons two summers ago at the Nike Top 100 camp in St. Louis, MO. Without question, Hammons has tremendous size. He is a wide body center that can occupy a lot of space on the low block. Hammonds has a “super soft” shooting touch around the basket and has the ability to use either hand. In addition, one of his strongest attributes is his “soft hands.” Over the past 2 years, Hammons’ rankings have dropped due to his “perceived lack of effort” at times. It is very difficult to argue that his young man has a tremendous upside when he is motivated to being as good as his potential. Simply put, this young man is a “sleeping giant” and once the “light bulb” goes off on a consistent basis, Hammons has the ability and potential to be as good as he wants to be. If yesterday was any indication, he looked motivated and played with the ability many expect out of his young man. He was dominant in the post as he continually used his wide body and big frame to post up on the low block. He worked hard to gain an advantage and if the opposing player plays behind him, he has an excellent shooting touch around the basket. Definitely a top 100 prospect or higher in the 2012 class!

When asked what schools were his favorites, he mentioned he was “wide open.” He did state Purdue, Minnesota, Cincinnati, and Wake Forest have all showed a lot of interest in his services. While we currently have Hammonds ranked #77, he does have the ability to be much more of an impact at the college level if he brings it every game and if his determination matches his skill set, watch out!

October 27th, 2011 Issue

Player: 7’0 AJ Hammons

Hometown: Indianapolis, IN

School: Oak Hill

Class: 2012

Verbal: Purdue

Evaluation: The best way to describe Hammons is “Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” Hammons tallied 7 points, 8 rebounds, and blocks several shots. He just needs to give 100% effort 100% of the time. He has the physical presence to dominate high school games and at times shows glimpses of stardom

 

November 29th, 2011 Issue

Player: AJ Hammons

Grade: 168

PPG: 7.7

RPG: 7.2

APG:

FG%: 63%

FT%: 68%

Comment: Hammons has shown signs of dominance especially on the defensive end of the floor. He is averaging 5.1 shots per game and has gone 32-51 from the floor for 63% while hitting 13-19 from the free throw line for 68%. He leads the team in rebounds (72) and blocked shots (45) Hammons has developed a nice jump hook shot on the low block and has been efficient and effective. The next step in his development is to continue to play with passion and purpose for the entire game. His presence in the middle will be crucial to the overall success of Oak Hill this season against bigger and more athletic teams.

 

January 19th, 2012

Player: AJ Hammons

PPG: 7.5

RPG: 7.9

BPG: 3.6

FG%: 64%

Evaluation: With the exception of the game against Millers Grove on national TV, Hammons has excelled in all of Oak Hill’s key match-up games against nationally ranked teams. Against Millers Grove, he got whistles for two quick “nickel dime” calls and his foul problems prevented him from playing his normal game. While Hammons does have a tendency to play down to the competition, but he also has a tendency to play up against the best competition and it has been his steady improvement and development that has projected Hammons into a Top 50 player nationally in our opinion. While his overall stats will not “wow” you, it is his presence on the defensive end of the court that is impressive. In the blowout win over Prestonwood, his sheer presence on the interior set the tone for the Warriors of Oak Hill and his play on the second half of the season will help determine the chances/opportunity of giving Coach Steve Smith and Oak Hill its 8th National High School Championship.

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Phenom Hoop Report from the MLK Classic

January 17, 2012   JohnO
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Phenom Hoop Report

 

Scouting Report: Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

Event: Hoop Hall Classic & NC MLK Scholastic Showcase

Evaluator: Rick Lewis

Twitter: @Coach_Rick57

Website: www.phenomhoopreport.com

Phenom Quote of the Day: “Play as a team and eliminate all thoughts of personal glory.”

Phenom Hoop Report Philosophy: “Balanced, thorough and detailed evaluations based upon the 3 P’s philosophy of Performance, Production, and Potential”

In today’s issue, we will review the action at the 2012 Spalding Hoop Hall Basketball Hall of Fame Classic and the 10th Annual MLK Day North Carolina Scholastic Classic. We have a lot to cover so let’s get started.

Prior to leaving for the 2012 Spalding Hoop Hall of Fame Classic, Oak Hill returned to school after a ten day lay-off. They played Christian Faith Academy and won easily by the score of 87-57. Jordan Adams led the way with 25 points going 10-21 from the floor (1-4 from the 3 point line) and 4-6 from the free throw line. He also grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double for another solid all around performance. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera tallied 18 points going 6-11 from the floor (3-5 from the 3 point line) and 3-4 from the free throw line. Tyler Lewis pumped in 17 points going 5-11 from the floor (1-3 from the 3 point line) and 6-8 from the free throw line. Lewis also dished out 5 assists and had 3 steals. AJ Hammons also finished with a double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds. Oak Hill now stood with a 26-0 record and traveled to Springfield, Massachusetts against national powerhouse and the prestigious City of Palms Champions Prestonwood High School of Texas.

Oak Hill jumped on Prestonwood early and never looked back as they recorded an impressive 85-55 win over a really good team. One of the unsung heroes for Oak Hill was 7’0 senior center AJ Hammons. Hammons set the tone early on both ends of the court. While his stat line will not wow you, but it was his enormous frame and girth that created problems for 6’9 Junior All American Julius Randle and 6’9 Kansas signee Zach Peters. Hammons finished with 6 points and 8 rebounds while blocking 4 shots and even dished out 2 assists. More importantly, Hammons altered countless shots for the opposing team and his presence alone in the middle was huge. Leading the way for Oak Hill was Jordan Adams with 23 points. Adams was an efficient 9-14 from the floor (5-7 from the 3 point line) and had 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 assists. Simply put, this was Adams best game of the season and it came at the opportune time. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera tallied 16 points going 5-17 from the floor (2-9 from the 3 point line) and 4-4 from the free throw line and also dished out 4 assists. Tyler Lewis finished with 15 points going 5-9 from the floor (3-4 from the 3 point line) and 2-2 from the free throw line. Lewis also dished out 10 assists and had 4 rebounds and recorded 4 steals to record an effective and efficient floor game. Charlotte signee 6’6 PF Darion Clark also got into double figures with 10 points going 5-6 from the floor and also collected 6 rebounds.

For Prestonwood, 6’9 PF Julius Randle finished with 23 points going 10-23 from the floor (0-3 from the 3 point line) and went 3-3 from the free throw line. Randle also collected a team high 9 rebounds. Kansas signee Zach Peters tallied 9 points going 3-9 from the floor and 3-5 from the free throw line. Peters also collected 4 rebounds for Prestonwood. Rounding out the bright spots for Prestonwood was 6’8 freshman sensation Mickey Mitchell who some are already touting as the best freshman in the country. Mitchell finished with 9 points going 3-9 from the floor (3-6 from the 3 point line.

For the game, Oak Hill shot the ball extremely well and they went 51% from the floor and an impressive 52% from the 3 point line. They also went 8-8 from the free throw line. On the other hand, Prestonwood shot 38% for the game and only 27% from the 3 point line. That being said, the big difference in the game was the ability of Oak Hill to share the ball as they had 19 assists for the game.

In another marquee matchup on Saturday, Gonzaga (Washington DC) defeated Riverside of New Orleans by the score of 77-65. The star of the game belonged to 6’6 junior Kris Jenkins as he tallied a game high 30 points going 12-16 from the floor (2-4 from the 3 point line) and 4-6 from the free throw line. Jenkins also grabbed 11 rebounds to record an impressive double-double. We went back to the Phenom Hoop Report archives from August 2010 and this is what we had to say about Jenkins two years ago.

August, 2010

Player: 6’6 Kris Jenkins

High School: Gonzaga

Hometown: Upper Marlboro

Class: 2013

Phenom Hoop Report: HM-

Jenkins is a strong and powerful PF that uses his strength extremely well. HE may be one of the best young 6’6 PF that really knows how to use his body and post up on the block. He has really soft hands and does an excellent job of finishing in the paint. In addition to being a strong PF, he has the ability to step out and know down the open 15 foot jumper to be a nice face up 4.

It looks like we were again spot on in our evaluation of Jenkins two summers ago!

6’1 junior PG Nate Britt finished with 16 points going 7-16 from the floor (0-1 from the 3 point line) and 2-2 from the free throw line. Britt dished out 2 assists, but had an enormously high 8 turnovers for the game. For Riverside, it was 6’8 senior PF Ricardo Gathers leading the way with 22 points going 8-21 from the game (0-2 from the 3 point line) and 6-7 from the free throw line. Gathers also grabbed 8 rebounds for the game. Gathers is simply a “man among boys” and his strong physical play always leaves you with a lasting impression of the coveted unsigned senior. Gathers already sports a NBA body and knows how to use his body extremely well in the post area. That being said, we felt Gathers settled for too many midrange jumpers and didn’t attack the basket as in previous tournaments.  In addition, he does have a nice mid range jumper. We were also impressed with the play of senior SG Lucas Martin-Julien who finished with 19 points. Martin-Julien went 8-17 from the floor (2-4 from the 3 point line) and 1-2 from the free throw line. That being said, college coaches should put the following names in their SIM card for future reference. 6’1 freshman PG Tharvon Julien finished with 11 points going 4-7 from the floor (1-1 from the 3 point line) and 2-2 from the free throw line. While he does possess outstanding speed and quickness, the next step in his development is to play more under control and cut down on careless turnovers, which is typical of a young PG. Another name to remember is 6’9 8th grader Khalea Turner who finished with 7 points. This young man has a soft touch around the basket and has huge and soft hands which are a complete luxury for big men.

The game changing stat was the inability of Riverside to take care of the basketball. Riverside committed 19 turnovers and only had 7 assists for the game. On the other hand, Gonzaga had 15 turnovers but had 16 assists for the game.

We will now move to the action on Monday at the 10th Annual MLK Day North Carolina Scholastic Classic and finish with some final thoughts on the 2012 Spalding Hoop Hall Classic.

In one of the day’s most surprising games was between High Point Wesleyan and Greenfield. HPW entered the contest with a 10-3 record and has one of the state’s most talented trios in 6’7 senior SF Montay Brandon (Florida State), 6’5 sophomore WG Theo Pinson, and 6’0 sophomore PG Jaquel Richmond. Greenfield is led by 6’8 senior WF Aaron Roundtree (Wake Forest) and 6’4 senior WF Sam Hughes (UNC-Asheville) who was the difference maker for the game as Greenfield won going away with a 73-64 victory over High Point Wesleyan. Between Brandon, Pinson, Richmond and Roundtree, you have four high major college players, but it was the play of Hughes that made the biggest impression. Hughes finished the game with 22 points while Roundtree had another all around performance with 15 points. In addition, Greenfield got balance scoring as 5’11 senior PG T.J. Hinnant chipped in 14 points while 6’3 junior SG Jordan Sharpe finished with 10 points. Theo Pinson led the way for HPW with 16 points while Montay Brandon chipped in 15 points and Jacquel Richmond finished with 12 points. While Greenfield’s coach Rob Salter is one of the state’s best coaches, he too was surprised with the impressive win over a very talented Wesleyan team. Greenfield who is ranked number 1 in the NCISAA 1-A  led by as many as 17 points in the 3rd quarter over the NCISAA 3-A number 5 team in the 3rd quarter. Greenfield now moves to 16-1 for the season while High Point Wesleyan drops to 10-4.

In the city matchup between private school Greensboro Day and Greensboro Smith, it was Coach Freddy Johnson and the Bengals winning easily over cross town Smith by the score of 61-48. As usual, it was a total team effort on behalf of Greensboro Day and balanced scoring once again was the point of the day for the Bengals. 6’3 senior SG Reed Lucas led the way with 17 points and his stock continues to soar. Lucas has always been an excellent catch and shoot player, but he has added strength and athleticism to his game and is able to put the ball on the floor with authority as he made a nifty baseline cross-over move for a beautiful slam dunk that put the explanation point for his MVP performance. Without question, schools in the Big South and Southern Conference should definitely be recruiting his young man. He has outstanding basketball IQ and has a great feel for the game. 6’7 senior PF Quayshad Williams chipped in 10 points and is quickly regaining his stamina after pre-season injuries. Williams made a big time college low post move where he had a drop step and then went in for a reverse layup that showcased his skill and ability. He is another player area schools in the Big South and Southern Conference should be recruiting. 6’7 junior Christian Hairston finished with 9 points while 5’10 PG Eastern Michigan signee Jalen Ross chipped in 8 points. Hairston is a long and athletic WF that rebounded well and has the ability to put the ball on the floor. Ross is simply the engine of the Bengals well balanced team. He is a heady PG that plays with excellent poise and will be an excellent prospect for Eastern Michigan. Greensboro Smith was led by 6’5 senior WF Adrian Wimbach with 15 points while 6’3 senior WG Tracy Gathings chipped in 14 points.

In the fifth game of the day, it was Oak Hill Academy vs. Greensboro Dudley. Oak Hill was fresh off its impressive win Saturday over Prestonwood and flew home Sunday. Oak Hill players attended class on Monday and then made the 2 ½ hour drive down to the Greensboro Coliseum. Oak Hill won easily by the score of 84-58 and it was another good homecoming for senior PG Tyler Lewis. Lewis finished with 21 points going 7-11 from the floor (2-4 from the 3 point line) and 5-6 from the free throw line. Jordan Adams tallied 16 points going 6-15 from the floor (2-7 from the 3 point line) and 2-2 from the free throw line. AJ Hammons continued his impressive play with 10 points, 8 rebounds and 4 block shots while RJ Curington enjoyed double digit scoring with 10 points going 4-7 from the floor (1-1 from the 3 point line) and 1-3 from the free throw line. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera finished with 9 points going 4-9 from the floor (1-3 from the 3 point line) The top player for Greensboro Dudley is 6’1 junior PG Sam Hunt who is a legitimate division one prospect. Oak Hill now moves to 28-0 for the season and should secure the number one spot in both USA Today and the ESPN high school poll.

In the final game of the day and the most exciting game, it was High Point Christian squeaking out a 59-58 OT win over Quality Education. Leading 52-48 with less than a minute remaining, HPC could have iced the game on several occasions but missed 7-8 free throws that allowed QEA to get back into the game. Coach Brandon Clifford and HPC moves to an impressive 19-0 record for the season while QEA falls to 12-4. Leading the way for HPC was 5’11 junior PG Diante Baldwin with 23 points. Baldwin is a crafty and quick PG that can easily get into the lane. Without question, Baldwin is a solid division I prospect and area schools in the Big South and Southern Conference should continue to monitor and recruit. Baldwin attended the 8th Annual NC Phenom 150 Camp last October and below is our evaluation of him.

Player: 5’11 Diante Baldwin

Hometown: Greensboro, NC

School: High Point Christian

Grade: 11 (Class: 2013)

Evaluation: IQ Baldwin recently “reclassed” to the 2013 class with his transfer to High Point Christian and he is another name MM schools will want to monitor. Baldwin has “sneaky” athleticism and has exceptional ball handling and passing skills. He sees the floor really well. Baldwin does have good strength and athleticism and even had a few nice dunks in transition. Overall, Baldwin is a very active PG that has good fundamentals and basketball.

Next up for HPC is the ever improving Jackson Kent. The 6’7 junior WF has always been known as a “lights out” shooter, but he has improved his athleticism and especially his lateral quickness. He has also shown the ability to handle the PG responsibilities if need be. Kent also attended the NC Phenom 150 camp last October and here’s what he had to say about him then.

Player: 6’7 Jackson Kent

Hometown: Greensboro, NC

School: High Point Christian

Grade: 11 (Class 2013)

Evaluation: Kent recently transferred to High Point Christian and reclassed to the 2013 class. Kent is another regular at the NC Phenom 150 camp and I’m totally impressed with his improvement over the past year. Basically known as a “dead eye” from the 3 point territory, he has worked hard on his ball handling and passing skills and has really raised his level of play. He even played PG at times at camp. Kent is excellent in transitions and with improved strength and quickness, he is more comfortable attacking the basket and finishing well. He has always been a fundamentally sound player with a high basketball IQ and is a legit D1 prospect.

That being said, Kent continued improvement will garnish interest from mid majors and even some high majors. Currently, Kent has the overall skills and ability to score and the next step in his development is to gain strength. If he continues to improve as much in the next two years as he has in the past year, don’t be surprised to see him playing at a high level. Kent finished with 16 points. 6’11 junior center Chuck Ogbodo played with a severe ankle sprain and gave 100% effort, but it was evident he was having trouble playing on it. He had little to no elevation but one has to give the young man tons of credit for playing with heart and passion. Below is our evaluation from our NC Phenom 150 Camp on Ogbodo.

Player: 6’11 Chuck Ogbodo

Hometown: High Point, NC

School: High Point Christian

Grade: 11 (Class: 2013)

Evaluation: Ogbodo is a very long and athletic center that is starting to garnish interest from ACC schools. He is a quick leaper and is excellent in transition. He has a tremendous wing span and is definitely a defensive presence in the paint. He alters and blocks a lot of shots due to this length and timing. Like many athletic big men, he is more advanced on the defensive end of the floor, but is making huge strides in his overall offensive development. If he continues to improve his overall game in the next year as he has in the past year, he will definitely be a major target of HM schools. When you are 6’11 young, energetic, athletic and have the length, quickness and bounce, high majors will quickly take notice. The next step for his development is play hard consistently on both ends of the court.

 

Leading the way for Quality Education was 6’4 senior combo guard Tevin Findlay. Findlay tallied 13 points while 6’7 senior PF Dominique Williams tallied 11 points. QEA has tons of talent and 6’9 Freshman Ibrahima Diallo is a promising young prospect that high majors should be all over.

Final thoughts from the 2012 Spalding Hoop Hall Classic

http://www.hoophall.com/news/2012/1/16/2012-spalding-hoophall-classic-all-tournament-team.html

All Tourney Players:
National: Shabazz Muhammad, Bishop Gorman
2012 Hoophall Classic All-Tournament First Team
Shabazz Muhammad, Bishop Gorman
Nerlens Noel, Tilton
Tyler Lewis, Oak Hill
Aaron Thomas, Brewster
Kyle Anderson, St. Anthony

2012 Hoophall Classic All-Tournament Second Team
Dominic Artis, Findlay
Kris Jenkins, Gonzaga
Katin Reinhardt, Mater Dei
Grant Jerrett, LaVerne Lutheran
Jabari Parker, Chicago Simeon

While we were not physically able to watch the Sunday and Monday games in person of the 2012  Spalding Hoop Hall Classic, we were fortunate to tape and watch the games shown on ESPN. After watching Shabazz Muhammad countless times this past summer, there is no question that he is the number one player in the 2012 class and there is no close second. In addition, we simply don’t buy the fact that many scouting experts are touting junior Jabari Parker as the best player in the country regardless of class. I will agree Parker may be the most complete all around player and his overall skill package at 6’8 is second to none. That being said, the Phenom Hoop Report went against “conventional wisdom” and selected 6’11 Nerlens Noel as the number one player in the 2013 class and here are the reason why. First of all, Noel may be the best defensive player at the high school level since a Patrick Ewing or Alonzo Mourning and his ability to change the outcome of the game is unequal without scoring a single point! That being said, his defensive and shot blocking ability is far ahead of his offensive skill set, however after watching his development and improvement on the offensive end of the court against Brewster, we are confidence that Noel may even become the number one pick in the draft by the time he enters his name for the NBA. Below is our evaluation from this past August after watching him at the NBA Players Camp.

August 2011 Report

Player: 6’11 Nerlens Noel

High School: Tilton School

Hometown: Tilton, MA

Class: 2013

Committed: Undecided

Phenom Hoop Report: What is there not to like about this young man!  Noel is an extremely long and athletic shot blocking machine and is one of the few players in the country that can impact a game without scoring a single point. His length, timing, and quick bounce off the floor are a recipe for many balls ending up in the first and second row of spectators. On the offensive end of the floor, he didn’t get many touches but that had little to no effect on his ability to play hard and with a passion and purpose. While Noel only averaged 7.4 PPG, he put together two strong performances in the semi final game and also in the championship game. (18 & 15 points respectively) His team lost by one point and if his team had won, one could make a strong argument that he could have been named the tournament MVP. The majority of his points came off missed shots and running the floor in transition, but in a few games we noticed him taking a jump hook shot as his main offensive weapon. Without question, Noel has no equal on the defensive end of the floor and reminds me of a younger and lankier Alonzo Mourning.

 

In the next couple of days, we will be updating our 2012 national rankings!

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SYRACUSE AT #1 FOR 5TH STRAIGHT WEEK, CAROLINA AND DUKE AT 3 & 8

January 09, 2012   JohnO
AP Top 25
RK TEAM RECORD PTS
1 Syracuse (60) 17-0 1,618
2 Kentucky (5) 15-1 1,558
3 North Carolina 14-2 1,476
4 Baylor 15-0 1,436
5 Ohio State 15-2 1,347
6 Michigan State 14-2 1,263
7 Indiana 15-1 1,217
8 Duke 13-2 1,186
9 Missouri 14-1 1,096
10 Kansas 12-3 1,005
11 Georgetown 13-2 990
12 UNLV 16-2 852
13 Michigan 13-3 715
14 Louisville 13-3 704
15 Murray State 16-0 628
16 Virginia 14-1 607
17 Connecticut 12-3 535
18 Kansas State 12-2 482
19 Florida 12-4 463
20 Mississippi State 13-3 362
21 Gonzaga 13-2 347
22 San Diego State 13-2 313
23 Creighton 13-2 236
24 Seton Hall 14-2 205
25 Marquette 12-4 170

 

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GUILFORD’S M.L. CARR CHOSEN FOR NORTH CAROLINA SPORTS HALL OF FAME

January 09, 2012   JohnO
Carr

1-4-12

GUILFORD’S M.L. CARR CHOSEN FOR NORTH CAROLINA SPORTS HALL OF FAME

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Guilford College alumnus M.L. Carr ’73 was selected for induction into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame Wednesday. Carr joins journalist Wilt Browning, football standout Wray Carlton, longtime N.C. State University baseball coach Sam Esposito, football official Dr. Jerry McGee, champion water skier Kristi Overton Johnson, former UNC Chapel Hill basketball star Lennie Rosenbluth and football coaching legend Henry Trevathan.

Carr joins Dave Odom ‘65, Rick Ferrell ’28, Tom Zachary ’18 and Bob Jamieson ’33 as Guilford alumni among the Hall’s 281 members. Others honorees with Guilford ties include former coaches Jack Jensen and Jerry Steele, as well as former athletic director Marion Kirby.

Carr played on two world-champion Boston Celtics teams and was a mainstay on Guilford College’s 1973 NAIA national championship basketball squad. The Wallace, N.C., native scored 1,993 points at Guilford despite playing in only 13 games as a junior. Carr was a freshman when the Quakers placed fourth in the 1970 NAIA Tournament and as a senior led Jensen’s team to a 29-5 record that included a win over the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore in the 1973 NAIA title game. The 6-6 forward averaged 18.4 points and 12.5 rebounds per game as a senior and was named an NAIA First Team All-American. Guilford went 101-25 in his four seasons and his number 30 was officially retired in 2009.

After graduating Guilford with academic honors and a history degree, Carr was drafted by both the Kansas City Kings (NBA) and the Kentucky Colonels (ABA). He spent his first two professional seasons playing in basketball’s minor leagues and Israel before joining the ABA’s St. Louis Spirits in 1975. When the ABA folded, he was drafted by the Detroit Pistons and spent three seasons there before signing with the Celtics in 1979. He led the league in steals and was a Second Team All-NBA Defensive Team selection in 1979. Carr played on the Celtics’ 1981 and 1984 championship teams and retired in 1985. He spent 21 years with Boston’s organization, serving as head coach, executive vice president and director of basketball of operations in his tenure.

Also a member of the NAIA Hall of Fame and the Guilford College Athletics Hall of Fame, Carr is president and chief operating officer of The Dream Company, LLC, an insurance marketing company in Huntsville, Ala. He remains an active part of Guilford’s community, having served on its Board of Trustees and as tri-chair of the school’s successful Our Time in History capital campaign that netted over $56 million.

The 49th annual North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame induction banquet will be held May 10 in the main ballroom of the North Raleigh Hilton. Banquet ticket information is available at www.ncsportshalloffame.org or by calling (919) 845-3455.

The North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame was established in 1962. The permanent exhibit is on the third floor of the North Carolina Museum of History on Jones Street in downtown Raleigh. The exhibit features significant artifacts donated by inductees. The free museum is open Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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