FTTH Preview Day 1: Big Games and Big Names
By Kurt Stubbs (ohiohshoops.com and JJHuddle.com)
Let the good times roll.
The 2011 Good Samaritan Hospital Flyin’ to the Hoop extravaganza will get underway this Saturday at Kettering Fairmont’s Trent Arena. The 9th Annual hoops smorgasbord will take place this Saturday, Sunday, and Monday featuring 34 high caliber teams in what should be 19 terrific encounters.
If you plan on attending or are thinking about attending we will get you set for the best three days of the high school basketball regular season. If you have never attended and love hoops or even like round ball, this is a must see.
We would be hard-pressed to find a place where you can see 19 of the best games in high school basketball for just 36 dollars. If you only choose one day, how can you beat 12 dollars especially on Saturday when you get to witness seven contests?
Eleven teams ranked in Ohio High School Hoops’ Top 10 will be taking center court along with eleven of the top national teams around the country.
Without further ado, here is a look at the line up and the match ups.
Saturday January 15, 2011:
10:15 a.m.- Troy, OH (6-3) vs. Lee, AL
The Troy Trojans will be making its third appearance at the Flyin’ to the Hoop, but just its first since 2006. The Trojans will meet Lee of Alabama in the morning’s opening contest.
Troy is led by senior Lance Carter who is averaging 18.6 points, 7.7 assists, and 5.6 rebounds per contest. Junior Cody May, who is also the school’s quarterback, averages 15.6 points per game and 6.8 rebounds. Another junior, Marcus Foster, is ripping the cords for 14.6 a night.
Junior Zach Martinez and sophomore Tyler Miller are getting 9.4 and 6.9 points per game respectively.
The Trojans will face a stiff test in trying to stop Illinois verbal, Devin Langsford (6’7/Sr.). Coach Greg Brown’s squad is (13-5) on the year.
12:00 p.m.- Chillicothe, OH (7-1) vs. Springfield, OH (2-6)
Ohio High School Hoops No. 6 ranked Chillicothe Cavaliers will meet the Springfield Wildcats in a battle of Buckeye schools.
The talented Cavs have not lost to an Ohio team this year with their only setback coming to Bowman (IN) this past weekend at the Wellston Classic. Springfield has lost four of its six games by six points or less, so they certainly can’t be taken lightly.
Chilly is led by 6-foot-6 senior Jalen Ragland, who is committed to play at UTEP. The silky-smooth senior is capable of getting 20-plus each time out and has already turned a couple 30-point efforts in this season.
He is aided by talented 6-foot-8 junior Malik London, who is a high-major Division 1 prospect. London is getting serious looks from the Big 10, Big East, and the Atlantic 10.
Sophomore Zach Johnson, who scored a career-high 21 points in a win against Vincent Warren a week ago, is a more than capable scorer.
Savvy point guard Tyler Manion and guard Isaac Beverly are quality role players with the ability to score if needed for the Cavs.
The Wildcats are led by 6-foot junior Brantley Davis, who is averaging 17 points an outing. 6-foot-3 senior Akeem Freeman is getting 12.7 points and 4 rebounds a night, while 5-foot-11 junior Ryan Minney is adding nine points.
Bryon Thompson (6’3/Sr.) is chipping in with 8.5 points and 6.2 rebounds, while Antonio Ferrell (6’6/Sr.) is adding 8.5 points and 8.7 boards.
1:45 p.m.- Kettering Alter, OH (5-2) vs. Our Savior New American, NY
Kettering Alter will be making its fourth appearance at the prestigious Flyin’ to the Hoop festival, while Our Savior New American will be making its sixth showing.
The New York-based squad, when the event was a tournament from 2003-2005, was the bracket winner three-straight years.
Alter comes into the event ranked No. 3 in Division 2 by Ohio High School Hoops (OHSH) having only two losses. The Knights were defeated by Cincinnati Moeller and St. Xavier out of Kentucky.
6-foot sophomore point guard Jaaron Simmons leads the way for the Alter Knights. Simmons, who is arguably the best 2013 point guard prospect in Ohio, is averaging 17.6 points and 5.1 assists per game. Simmons has an offer from Dayton and interest from Ohio State, Cincinnati, and Xavier.
6-foot senior Max Zukowitz adds 14.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists for the Knights. Zukowitz is one of the best three-ball shooters in the state.
6-foot-1 junior Jake Laravie is averaging 12.7 points per game, while 6-foot-6 senior Joe Thuney is getting eight points and 11.6 rebounds. 6-foot-1 senior Trey Freshwater is adding seven points.
For Our Savior, St. John’s verbal Jevon Thomas (5’11/Jr.) leads the way. Also, keep an eye on 6-foot-10 senior Daouda Soumaoro who is drawing low to mid-major looks.
3:30 p.m. Huntington Prep, WV vs. Cincinnati Withrow, OH (7-1)
Cincinnati Withrow comes into the contest ranked No. 15 in Division 1 by OHSH with its only loss coming to unbeaten Cincinnati Taft. Huntington Prep enters the contest with a (12-2) mark. The Express have lost to Quality Education Academy (NC) twice.
The Tigers of Withrow are led by Florida State verbal Aaron Thomas (6’5/Sr.) and his 24.5 points and nearly five rebounds per outing.
6-foot-7 sophomore Devin Williams follows with 14.1 points and 13.1 boards. Williams is capturing the attention of plenty of Division 1 schools including Ohio State, Cincinnati, and Xavier.
6-foot-5 senior Carl Porter and 6-foot-3 senior Kevin Jones provide an added punch. Porter, who will be one of the best leapers this weekend, is averaging 14 points and seven rebounds. Jones is averaging 7.5 points and five caroms.
Junior guard Damon Gooch (5’10) and junior big Rozelle Nix (6’9) give the Tigers depth.
Prep is a team stockpiled with Division 1 talent and commits. Seniors Charles Lee (5’9) and Jeremiah Davis (6’3) have already committed, while junior Negus Webster-Chan has done so as well. Lee is on his way to Cleveland State, Davis to Cincinnati, and Webster-Chan will be headed to Louisville in two years.
Other top talent for the Express includes Jaylen Beckham (6’1/Jr.), Stefan Jankovic (6’10/Jr.), Maurice Aniefok (6’5/Sr.), Sim Bhullar (7’4/Jr.), and Ibrahima Djimde (6’9/Sr.). All of the players listed are getting high-major interest.
5:15 p.m.: Hamilton Southeastern (IN) vs. Cincinnati Taft, OH (10-0)
Cincinnati Taft comes into the game ranked No. 1 in Ohio Division 3 by OHSH with an unblemished (10-0) record. The Senators will face their toughest challenge to date when they meet (9-1) Hamilton Southeastern out of Indiana.
Taft will be making its second Flyin’ to the Hoop appearance. The Senators, who play in a mainly Division 1 conference, are led by five juniors and two seniors.
6-foot-6 junior Adolphus Washington, who is the most dominant player in D3, leads the way in the paint for the Senators. The man-like Washington would likely be a mid-major basketball prospect, but the football offers will be too good to overlook. Washington owns offers from Ohio State, Alabama, Texas, Texas AM, Boston College, and Michigan State on the gridiron.
Juniors Orlando Berry (5’8), Dwayne Stanford (6’5), Jalean Lowe (6’3), and Jermaine Freeman (5’10) are the remaining four members of the talented quintet.
Stanford is another elite football prospect with offers from Alabama, Cincinnati, Texas Tech, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan State, and Purdue. The 200-pound junior would also play D1 basketball if weren’t for his ability on the football field.
Seniors Chris Lowe (6’4) and Kadeem Palmer (5’8) are also heavy contributors for the Senators.
Hamilton Southeastern, who has tasted defeated just once and that was to unbeaten North Central (IN), brings in one of the top prospects in this year’s field. Gary Harris, a 6-foot-4 junior, is ranked No. 16 by ESPNU for the Class of 2012. Hamilton is averaging 20.5 points and 5.4 rebounds. He has offers from the Big 10, Big East, SEC, and Atlantic 10.
Sophomore Zak Irvin (6’5) is another player to watch for the Indiana-based school. Irvin, who is a Top 50 prospect by most, averages 10.7 points per contest. He currently holds offers from Baylor, Illinois, Indiana, Miami (FL), Purdue, and Xavier.
5-foot-9 junior point guard Jacoby Bledsoe has been solid all year. Bledsoe is averaging 8.7 points and 4.6 assists. The junior has offers from Colorado State, Dayton, Drake, Oregon State, Western Kentucky, and Western Michigan.
6-foot-6 senior Randy Gregory is good for 9.6 points and 7.9 rebounds, while 6-foot-4 senior Josh Dather is averaging 7.8 points.
Southeastern will making its first Flyin’ to the Hoop appearance.
7:00 p.m.- Perspectives Charter (IL) vs. Dayton Meadowdale (6-3)
Dayton Meadowdale will meet Perspectives Charter out of Illinois in both squads initial Flyin’ to the Hoop game.
Perspective Charter may not be a national-power, but they will have the best player over the course of the three days. 6-foot-10 senior Anthony Davis, who is signed to play with Kentucky, is ranked No. 2 overall by ESPNU.
Davis, who grew from 6-foot-2 to 6-foot-10 in about 18 months, is averaging 33 points, 20 rebounds, and 6.5 blocks per game.
Meadowdale, who will be a local favorite, is led by 6-foot-5 senior Richard Weaver. The powerful Weaver is averaging 15.3 points a game. 6-foot-3 senior Jaquill King follows with 10.5 points. Senior Dewayne Martin (6’5), junior Nick Thornton (5’9), and senior Mike Montgomery (6’0) are top support at 9.3, 8.8, and 8.0 points respectively.
Odis Shine (6’2/Jr.) adds 5.5 markers an outing.
8:30 p.m.- Garfield Heights (8-0) vs. Trotwood Madison (6-1)
The nightcap on Saturday features two Ohio big school powers. It will be Northeast versus Southwest when Garfield Heights meets up with Trotwood-Madison.
Trotwood, who is ranked No. 17 by OHSH in D1, will be making its sixth consecutive appearance at the Dayton-area event, while Garfield, who is ranked No. 8 in D1, will be making its third trip to Kettering.
The Bulldogs of Garfield Heights are led by 6-foot-2 senior Trey Lewis, a Penn State signee. Lewis is averaging over 20 points per game.
6-foot-7 sophomore Tony Farmer is coming along nicely and drawing interest from a lot of D1 heavyweights including Ohio State, Michigan State, and Michigan.
Mike Davis (6’1/Jr.) is another talented Bulldog receiving D1 interest along with 6-foot-9 junior Jermaine Davis. 6-foot-6 senior Mike McQueen is a hardworking, blue-collar type player for Heights.
Trotwood has been led in scoring by 6-foot-4 sophomore Ja’Mar Hammonds and his 13.9 points an outing. 6-foot-1 junior Andre Yates follows with 13.7 points and 5.7 assists from the lefty.
James Brown Jr. (6’0/Jr.) provides scoring punch with his 9.6 lightings and Marcus Graham (6’2/Sr.) adds 8.3 tallies and 5.3 boards. Senior guard Michael Booze (6’1) chips in with 6.3, while Bam Bradley (6’2/Jr.) and Warren Wilson (6’1/Sr.) are both getting 5.3 points a night.
Both Graham and Bradley are highly sought after football recruits. Bradley, who is just a junior, already has offers from Northwestern and Tennessee.
Also, keep an eye on 6-foot-2 freshman Dezhontae Bennett.
| 
