'14 PF/C Devin Pike has left Reading HS to attend Elder according to sources within the Elder building. Pike will not be eligible to play in the 2011-2012 school year per OHSAA transfer rules, but will eligible with two years remaining in the the 2012-2013 school year.
A 6'6 athletic big man that plays with high energy Devin is just starting to develop his basketball game, but has a very bright future in the sport. Once his offensive game catches up to the defensive abilities that he already brings to the court he could be a highly recruited prospect. Last year at Reading he played in every single varsity game for a district runner up team and averaged 7 points to go with 5 rebounds.
Pike is the younger brother of former Cincinnati Bearcat and current Carolina Panthers quarterback Tony Pike, and like his brother is a standout player. He will be expected to contribute on the gridiron as well in 2012.
CPHR's last day in Orlando was an eventful one as we saw several high talent level games come down to the wire........... Pics
All Ohio Purple: An impressive run to the semifinal game of the Silver Super Showcase AOP was eliminated by Baylor Basketball out of the St. Louis area. After falling down by as many as 15 points in the second half Adolphus Washington got going inside, scoring on 6 straight possessions at one point. Washington finished the game with 28 points and took AOP all the way back to take the lead but some big times shots by Baylor, and costly Purple turnovers, put the game out of reach. Washington had a phenomenal tournament, in which many coaches told CPHR that they believed he could be a conference player of the year if he had not decided to go the football route for college.
All Ohio Red 16u: The game of the week occurred this afternoon as AOR squared off against a loaded Memphis YOMCA game in the first round of bracket play in the 16u National Championships. Red trailed by as many as 17 points early before slowly chipping away. Down 8 with two minutes left the tiny Keon Johnson (Mansfield Senior PG) took over scoring twice, including a blow by layup at the buzzer to force overtime. Johnson scored 8 more points in overtime, where he was helped out by Jordan Lauf (Napoleon SG) and Charles “Cha-Cha” Tucker (Lansing, MI PG), to give Red a 10 point comeback win. The real star in this game was Ohio's top recruit, and '13 Ohio State commitment, Marc Loving (Toledo St. Johns SF/PF). Loving scored inside and outside for Red as Coach Matta looked on with a smile on his face, and finished with 36 points. Displaying an improved level of toughness Loving even drove down the wing and rose over two YOMCA defenders for a two handed dunk plus the foul.
Marc Loving
Queen City Prophets 16u: The team might have struggled but they did have one bright spot as PG Sterling Gilmore put together a nice performance by scoring from beyond the arc and in the lane. College coaches from the MAC, Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne, IUPUI, Robert Morris, St. Francis (PA) and more watched the game.
Queen City Prophets 17u: After struggling in the 16u game Austin Grimes found a lot of success playing up with the 17u squad, finishing with 20 points in a loss to the talented Each 1 Teach 1 of Florida. Ladell Griffin and Kendall Beamon were the other main contributors for QCP who looks to bounce back in the remaining pool play games tomorrow.
All in all CPHR had a great experience down in Orlando and would like to mention how proud we are of all the Cincinnati kids, Ohio kids, and national kids who competed from whistle to whistle in front of the college coaches. It is a bittersweet feeling watching these 17u AAU teams for the last time, but they all have bright futures ahead of them!
Two of Cincinnati's finest 2012 prospects picked the perfect time to play their best basketball as Rozelle Nix (Withrow C) and Malcolm Smith (Princeton SG) have raised their games, and their GameTime Magic team, to the next level in Orlando at the AAU Super Showcase.
Rozelle Nix
Nix, who stand 6'10 and has massively imposing frame, has been a double-double machine all tournament with double figure totals in both rebounding and scoring. Good feet for his size and large hands help him to snag everything around the rim where he can outlet to a guard or stick it back in. What college coaches are impressed with has been his tremendous improvement with the ball on the low block where he has shown a consistent power drop step move and a developing hook shot. No one plays harder then Rozelle who works his way up and down the court and is a great shotblocker on the defensive end. As his skills continue to come around over his senior season Nix is hoping to take his game even higher and to play at the college level. Right now he has interest from Toledo, Bowling Green, Tulsa, and Northern Illinois with more to come soon.
Malcolm Smith
Smith is a 6'2 guard that formerly was a wing player; but over the course of this event he has shown CPHR that his ballhandling and passing skills are nearing that of a reliable point guard. Although we have seen him have several big scoring games in his career we had not seen him consistently create shots for other teams, while still scoring at high volume, until July. The increased frequency in which Malcolm attacks the basket has also improved his recruiting stock. A good leaper with an explosive first step Smith is tough to challenge at the rim and he also has the body control to re-adjust and finish when bumped. Colleges are just starting to learn of Malcolm and his list of interested schools should really expand over the next couple of weeks. Currently he claims interest from Western Michigan, Elon, Georgia State, University of Chicago, and the University of Indianapolis.
Adolphus Washington has been unstoppable
during his last AAU trip of his career with All-Ohio Purple
On Monday in Orlando CPHR was able to take in some 17u Super Showcase games as well as some 16u AAU National Championships games............Pictures
All-Ohio Red 17u- Facing the SYF Players (IN), a team that is arguably the nation's most talented, AOR came out of the gates (for the second time in a row) with some fire, but this time they were not able to hold on for the win. SYF's fantastic point guard Adonis Filer scored over the outstretched arms of Red PF Devon Scott (Columbus Northland) at the buzzer to give the Players a two point victory. SYF also was headlined by the play of consensus top ten recruit PF/C Mitch McGary (Brewster Academy) who finished a few plays with emphatic dunks. Red's star PF Elijah Macon (Huntington Prep)showed out again; this time in front of head college coaches from West Virginia, Ohio State, Duke, Kentucky, Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Michigan State, Indiana, Florida, North Carolina, and more. The role play of guards Jordan Potts (Columbus Northland PG) and Myles Davis (Lakewood St. Edwards SG) kept AOR in the game offensively. Davis in particular is someone that has really seen his stock rise in this event; a fierce competitor who relentlessly attacks the rim and defends with maximum effort Davis is going to be priority recruit for every Midwestern mid-major school. Davis currently claims offers from Penn State and Akron, with Rider, Eastern Kentucky, and Indiana State among schools showing interest. Potts has offers from James Madison and Bethune Cookman with interest coming from Florida Atlantic, UNC Greensboro, Western Kentucky, and Radford. Macon has always been considered a West Virginia lean, even though he has decommitted from them, and is currently considering the Mountaineers as well as Ohio State, Cincinnati, and several others. Red was later eliminated in the first round of Gold bracket play by Atlanta Express.
Queen City Prophets 17u- Finished their pool play with a loss today to the Rising Stars as QCP could not get their offense clicking and that led to frustration. Turnovers and poor transition defense made the margin lopsided and the Prophets could never get back in it. The lone bright spot in the game was the play of the three 2013 prospects that played up at the 17u level. Austin Grimes (Aiken SG/SF) was sensational, see interview below, by scoring 20 points and dominating his man off of the bounce. Trent Donald (Winton Woods PF) and Joe Cossins (Anderson PF) also made contributions for QCP.
Josh Davenport caught the eye of several
college coaches today with King James.
All-Ohio Purple 17u- Another game, another dominant performance from the Diesel as Adolphus Washington (Taft C) had another monster game down low. Facing a Maine Nation team that put everything on the line, and put together an unbelievable shooting performance, AOP held on for a 6 point win. To complement Washington, PG Orlando Berry Jr (Taft), PG Josh Lemons (LaSalle), SG Jalean Lowe (Taft), and SF Jermaine Freeman (Taft) had just enough offensive firepower to will their way past Maine's top AAU team. AOP finishes their pool with a 3-0 record and looks like a team that could make noise in bracket play.
King James Shooting Stars 16u- Still adapting to each other as teammates this KJ team has a lot of work to do, but one things is for sure they are very talented. In a win today CPHR was impressed with the slashing abilities of wings Josh Davenport (Moeller) and Maurice O'Field (Cleveland Heights); both of whom have the skill to get to the rack at will. Davenport is more of a fluid and smooth penetrator who can take off with room while O'Field is a bulldozer with major league leaping ability. Speaking of athletes Michigan's top ranked prospect PF Jackson Lamb (Bedford) caught an alley-oop well above the rim for a two hand finish over the top of a defender to set the pace early for King James. SF Mark Alstork (Thurgood Marshall) also contributed for King James with his shooting and defensive energy.
Less then two weeks after deciding to play his postgraduate season at Brewster Academy more big news is coming from Semaj Christon. After weighing his options over the last week Semaj has committed to play at Xavier University as a member of their '12 recruiting class.
This spring and summer scouts have been all over Christon and his Cincinnati Knights AAU team, as he has seen his stock skyrocket like no one else in the state of Ohio. This all comes after a statement senior season at Winton Woods HS where he led the city in scoring and the league in assists, while taking his team all the way to the Regional Semifinal. A 6'3 scoring point guard with great athleticism and exceptional court vision, whether its to find a teammate or a lane to the basket, Christon is an exceptional talent with the potential to mature into a college superstar.
At the end of the recruiting process Christon could just not pass up the chance to play in front of family and friends at one of his hometown schools. Illinois, Georgetown, Cincinnati, and Providence top the list of disappointed schools who were not able to attain Semaj's services.
Semaj becomes Xavier's 4th commitment for the class of 2012 in what is shaping up to be a nationally ranked recruiting class. Joining Christon, who is ranked in the top 100 nationally, is SG Myles Davis (pure shooter from NJ), C Sim Bhullar (7'4 giant from Huntington Prep), and PF James Farr (an under the radar talent from Illinois).
Next year at Brewster should be another year of rapid development in Semaj's career, where he will have the chance to practice and play with other elite talents everyday. From there Xavier fans should already be having visions of him driving to the basket and kicking to Myles Davis for wide open threes.
For those who haven't been able to see Semaj play here are some of his highlights from CPHR's Top 50 Spring Showcase:
'13 Aiken wing Austin Grimes talks with CPHR after a huge outing with the Queen City Prophets 17's. Grimes knocked down four three pointers, attacked the rim relentlessly, and showed off a much improved handle in front of college coaches from Dayton, IUPUI, Toledo, Bowling Green, and more.
Day III in Orlando brought the start of the 17u Gold and Silver Super Showcases................
All Ohio Red: After getting a win in the early game via forfeit AOR had to wait until 9:20 PM to play, and the rest really paid off. Red came out clicking on all cylinders as Elijah Macon was in full scale beast mode. Macon overpowered defenders and finished with ferocious dunks to pleasure of over 40 college coaches. It is that kind of energy that Macon channels in big games that can make him a McDonalds All-American if he stays consistent. Red also got a boost from Lakewood St. Edward's SG Myles Hamilton, a scorer with great athleticism and some grit to his game. CPHR will have much more from Red, including interviews with Elijah Macon and Teddy Hawkins, tomorrow night.
All Ohio Purple: Adolphus Washington started the game with a rim-shaking dunk and AOP never looked back against a solid Mid Atlantic Select team out of Maryland. Washington was dominant all game scoring 19 points and defending the other teams' star forward. Jalean Lowe and Tommy Kreyenhagen were knocking down triples for Purple while Jermaine Freeman, Orlando Berry Jr, and Josh Lemons were all able to get to the rack.
Note: Dwayne Stanford is doing double duty in Orlando as he is splitting his time between the AAU Super Showcase and the Nike Gridiron Kings event in the same facility.
King James: Playing against Nike EYBL runners-up Memphis YOMCA is a tough assignment, and King James simply was not ready to handle it. The game got ugly quick as Jarnell Stokes, Martavious Newby and the rest of YOMCA put their foot down on King James. The standout players for KJ were SG Devon Carter (Cleveland John Hay) and C Pharoah Brown (Akron Brush).
Ohio Shooting Stars: The surprise of the event so far, OSS upset Nike EYBL champion Boston Amateur Basketball Club in a David vs Goliath type matchup. A Northern Ohio based team with a lot of solid but not spectacular players, CPHR came away impressed with 6'7 SF David Walker (Stow) and 6'3 PG Jordan Barham (University School).
GameTime Magic and Queen City Prophets each started the event 1-1, CPHR plans on watching both of those teams play tomorrow.
In day two at the 16u Super Showcase in Orlando we were able to watch Ohio's top two AAU teams play twice each. Here's a recap of how they fared against some elite competition: Photos from Days 1-2
Ohio Varsity: OV started the day off by destroying Savannah Elite by over 40 points in front of several college coaches from the MAC as well as Winthrop and VCU. PG Jack Gibbs (Westerville North) led the way in scoring while athletic C Marquiez Lawerance (Marion-Franklin) displayed phenomenal energy on his way to a double-double performance. After finishing their bracket 3-0 Varsity drew Team Takeover, the top AAU team from the fertile Baltimore-DC area, but never backed down as they grabbed an early lead and held on for a double digit victory. Against Takeover it was the play of PG Randle Clarkson (Brookhaven) combined with Gibbs and SF Aaron Jackson (Gahanna Lincoln) that scored effortlessly as they constantly broke down the Takeover press. The combination of two of Ohio's elite 2013 PG's, the shooting of Jackson and some of their other wings, and the energy of Lawerance makes up for Varsity's lack of size as they will look to make a deep run in bracket play tomorrow.
All-Ohio Red: Facing a talented Memphis YOMCA team to finish pool play Red put together a great team performance as they handled YOMCA in the second half for a ten point win. College coaches from Wake Forest, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Memphis, Tennessee, and many more took in the action. The three man front-court of SF Tony Farmer (Garfield Heights), SF/PF Mark Loving (Toledo St. John's), and PF Nigel Hayes (Toledo Whitmer) was just too much size, skill, and athleticism for Memphis's top team to handle. Ohio State commit Loving was on his game as he faced up and took defenders off the dribble while also stroking the ball from behind the arc. In their second game of the day, a first round Gold bracket game, the wheels fell off for Red as they lost handily to Gold Coast (FL). AOR was unable to score around the rim and with the exception of PG's Charles Tucker (Lansing, MI) and Keon Jackson (Mansfield SR) was unable to put the ball in the bucket. Both Tucker and Jackson hit some shots but could not match the perimeter play of Gold Coast, who shot lights out from deep. Red will sit out two days before playing in nationals.
Recruiting Notes...........
Tony Farmer claimed offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Depaul, and West Virginia with significant interest coming from Ohio State, Dayton, Cincinnati, Xavier, Tennessee, and Pittsburgh.
Nigel Hayes has been offered by Xavier, Central Michigan, Dayton, Cincinnati, Akron, and Toledo while also getting interest from Memphis, Butler, Ohio State, and Purdue.
Jack Gibbs has offers from Akron, Ohio University, Toledo, and James Madison while Cincinnati, Dayton, and St. Joe's are starting to inquire.
News from Elsewhere..........
The Cincinnati Knights 17u team is off to a good start in St. Louis finishing pool play 2-1 behind the play of Semaj Christon. Word on the street is that Christon is now a heavy lean towards Xavier and a commitment could be on the horizon.
Shining Star Schaeffer 16u turned in another strong performance today as CPHR saw them pull off a slight upset against a bigger Texas Rising Stars squad as Monty Boykins was sensational scoring the basketball for the second day in a row.
Check back into CPHR tomorrow for more news from Orlando including the start of 17u action in the Gold and Silver Super Showcase events- where CPHR will be focusing on several Ohio teams.
'13 SG Monty Boykins talks with CPHR about his game and recruitment in Orlando at the AAU Super Showcase. Boykins was coming off a 20+ point outing in a Shining Stars loss to Nike Team Florida.
CPHR's first day of watching games at the AAU Super Showcase's and National Championships in Orlando was filled with evaluating top prospects from all over the midwest. We were also able to take in games from Shining Star-Moman, All Ohio Red, Team CBIZ, All Ohio Varsity, and Midwest Athletics/Cincinnati Celitcs; all of whom got off to good starts as teams.
The most impressive performance of the day that CPHR saw by a local team actually came in a loss as Shining Star-Schaeffer lost an exciting 78-70 game to Nike Team Florida. CPHR came away impressed with the heart and depth of talent that this Shining Star team has developed over the month of July. Dayton prospects SG Connon Myslowski (West Carrllton), combo forward Damarion Geter (Dayton Dunbar), and PG/SG Zach Denny (Germantown Valley View) all had their moments for the Stars as did Louis Maniacci of Boone County, Kentucky.
The real story however was the success of '13 SG Monty Boykins, ranked all year in CPHR's top ten, of Lakota West. Boykins was relentlessly attacking the rim and scoring or pulling up from mid-range, without settling for any tough jumpers, on his way to 20+ points against a loaded NTF squad. Several college coaches were on hand and should notice the continued growth of Boykins as he becomes more comfortable with his new teammates. Check back into CPHR later for an interview and recruiting update with Monty.
6'2 SG Stedman Lowry, a 2013 Lakota East prospect, is starting to recieve some D1 interest from college coaches thanks to the success he has enjoyed in July playing AAU with the Martin Wolverines. A big time shooter who has deceptively good handles and athleticism Lowry has gotten calls from William & Mary, Akron, and Central Michigan while Indiana, Valparasio, Ohio University, and American University have also expressed some interest.
After recently being named to the 1st team at the All-Academic Showcase in Chicago, Stedman is placing himself on the radar of scouts and college coaches; particularly CPHR where he is due to see a jump into the rankings at the next update.
Here is some video, courtesy of the Lowry family, from the Martin Wolverines games with the Michigan Mustangs at the Adidas Invitational earlier this month:
6'3 SG Keontae "TuTu" Brown is starting to turn the heads of college coaches on the AAU circuit this summer. Brown, originally a 2011 recruit, graduated from Dayton Dunbar HS this past year and is enrolled at West Virginia Prep Academy for a year of postgraduate work. A big time leaper with a tough mindset and unlimited energy Brown is known as a jack of all trades. He has the ability to slash to the rim and score the ball close in, he has a decent mid-range jumpshot, and he can be a teams' primary ballhandler when needed. What separates TuTu from other prospects is his ability to pressure the ball defensively with his quickness and aggressive attitude. When Brown is able to get steals and play with the ball in the open court then highlights are sure to follow.
On the AAU scene Keontae plays with the loaded Cincinnati Knights squad that includes ranked players on CPHR such as Semaj Chrison, Willy Moore, Darrin Harris, Paul Woodson, and the Rossi twins. With three July tournaments gone and two to go Keontae is focused on continuing to earn more scholarship offers from mid-major Division I colleges. As of now he has offers from Cleveland State, Kent State, Ball State, Youngstown State, and Southern Illinois with more interest on its way.
The Cincinnati Knights 17u team made it to the semi-finals at the West Virginia Jamfest in Morgantown, WV. New addition Willy Moore (Aiken SG) along with Semaj Christon turned the heads of college coaches over the three days of play as they combined to produce highlight reel plays. The Knights also got good production from forwards Jacob Rossi (Franklin SF) and Justin Rossi (Franklin PF).
Kevin Johnson, Devin Williams, and Tyonte Robertson's 16u Ohio Basketball Club team captured the title in their age group in West Virginia.
After previously committing to playing his post-grad season at St. Thomas Moore in Connecticut rising superstar Semaj Christon has decided to enroll at the basketball powerhouse Brewster Academy in New Hampshire. Christon, a 6'3 PG and 2011 graduate of Winton Woods, will play the point on the nation's most talented team next year. The #2 prospect in CPHR's 2011 rankings will be joining the #1 ranked player, Withrow SG Aaron Thomas (who will spend a season there before heading to Florida State), at Brewster.
Elite prospects SF Deontae Burton (Top 25 player nationally in 2013), SF/PF TJ Warren (Top 40 player nationally in 2012), and the hottest name in recruiting right now PF/C Mitch McGary (#5 in the country in 2012) should round out Brewster's starting five.
Christon is getting heavy college interest from about every high major school as his stock as his exploded, Scout.com now ranks him the #73 player in the country. Xavier, Georgetown, Illinois, Iowa, Cincinnati, West Virginia, and now Louisville are the schools pursuing Semaj the heaviest as of now.
The Cincinnati Knights recently finished 2-2, playing without superstar PG Semaj Christon, at D1 Showcase in Elmhurst (IL). The Knights defeated California's I CAN Ballers in front of over 30 college coaches including head coaches from Iowa, Michigan State, Illinois, Mississippi State, Depaul and more. '12 prospects Paul Woodson, Darrin Harris, Jacob Rossi, Justin Rossi, Landen Gaulden, Zach McCorkle, and Ben Galemmo are all starting to get some D1 and D2 college looks; particularly the Rossi twins who reportedly have Iowa very interested.
All-Ohio Purple finished 5-1 at the CP3 Invitational in North Carolina, losing to the host CP3 All-Stars in the final. Purple earned victories over CP3 in pool play as well as a very talented Nike Team Charlotte group. Playing without Adolphus Washington (Nike All-American Football Camp), Dwayne Stanford (Same), and Geovonie McKnight (Injury) AOP relied on the strong play of Willy Moore, Josh Lemons, and in particular PG Orlando Berry Jr as college coaches from the MAC, the OVC, Virginia, Virginia Tech, VCU, and College of Charleston looked on.
'13 PG Kevin Johnson has recently received scholarships offers from Wisconsin, Illinois, Northern Illinois, Seton Hall, Ohio University, Miami (OH), and Toledo. While Wake Forest, Davidson, Xavier, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Virginia, Bowling Green, Stanford, West Virginia, and Dayton are all showing significant interest already.
CPHR was unable to make the trip this weekend to Chicago, but thanks to the help of the city's AAU players and coaches we do have some notes to report.
Withrow '13 PF Devin Williams has been offered a scholarship from Kentucky after his recent play at the Adidas Invitational. UK is added to the growing list of high majors to extend offers to Williams, who just recently took over the top spot in CPHR's 2013 prospect rankings.
The Cincinnati Lakers are getting really, really used to winning. The Lakers finished their super pool with a 3-0 record at the King James Summer Showcase in Chicago, after winning their first tourney in Chicago with a 5-0 record. College coaches from all over the midwest are starting to take notice.
Shining Star Sports is off to a good start this month as all their teams 15u-17u finished their Indianapolis tournaments with solid records and now are having success down in Kentucky at the Eddie Ford Hoopfest. Shining Star 15u (Handel) won their division of the Adidas Invitational in Indy.
Stay tuned to CPHR as the next round of tourneys in the July AAU evaluation period will be held in Milwaukee (NY2LA Sports Swish N Dish), West Virginia (Harley Davidson Jamfest), and Georgia/South Carolina (Nike EYBL Finals/Peach Jam and Peach State Showcase).
One month after wining the Ohio AAU State Championship the Cincinnati Lakers went down to Little Rock, Arkansas and placed 10th at the AAU National Championships. Looking back to last year this Lakers squad lost Ohio's top '14 PG in Tyonte Robertson (Withrow) and just kept on moving. The team also does not have the height to match most elite teams in its age group, but again they just kept on moving. Their depth, intensity, and togetherness led them to the placement stages where they've earned bragging rights as a top ten team nationally, and still the best team in Ohio at their age group; although CPHR would LOVE to see a showdown between them and the King James Shooting Stars 15u team!
Team: Mike Barwick (Summit PF), Martin Jones II (Winton Woods PF), Daniel Cage (Winton Woods C), Eric Eichler (Lakota East PF), Robert Caldwell (Dayton Stivers PG), Jeff Larkin (LaSalle PG/SG), Armand Walker (Summit SG), Erend Long (Fairfield SG), Herman Brunis (Fairfield SG), Matt Kittell (St. Xavier SF)
Cincy Prep Hoops Report is excited to release our second highlight tape, this one is of '12 LaSalle PG Josh Lemons. A big time shooter, with blinding speed and quick changes of pace, Lemons is an elite scorer that plays efficently as well. After watching all the tape CPHR was extremely impressed with his shot selection, consistency, and how few times he turned the ball over (while running the offense and attacking in the open floor). Besides being a specialist as a shooter Josh also thrives on the defensive end, where he is a nightmare for opposing ballhandlers with his quick feet and agressive mentality. CPHR is looking forward to seeing how LaSalle develops next year's offense behind Lemons, with the loss of 4 senior starters Josh will most likely be expected to create more shots instead of having the offense create the shots (which is how LaSalle played last year to perfection).
Lemons has started to earn the attention of Division 1 college coaches as well. This summer he has already attended 6 elite camps and is getting interest from Toledo, Miami (OH), Eastern Kentucky, Kent State, and more. Stay tuned to CPHR after the July AAU period for a detailed report of what colleges are after all the top targets in 2012.
The Cincinnati Knights 17u team is 3-0 heading into Platinum Division bracket play tonight. After spotting teams leads greater then 15 in the first half of two games the Knights got their chemistry together and stormed back to take both games. Semaj Christon has been the star, as anticipated, for the Knights scoring in excess of 17 a game. While Keontae Brown (Dayton Dunbar), Zach McCorkle, Ben Galemmo, the Rossi brothers, Landen Gaulden, and Paul Woodson have all had their moments.
The Knights are averaging over 20 college coaches at each of their games. In a win over the Colorado Tru-Playaz head coaches from every high major conference including John Thompson of Georgetown and Chris Mack of Xavier were in attendance. According to a Knights staff member several Big 10 coaches were in attendance for their first game against Caps All Stars
Queen City Prophets 16u finished pool play 2-1 behind the solid play of Ramar Hairston, Marquez Carpenter, and Deontae Bolling. College coaches from Butler, Cincinnati, Ohio State, Notre Dame, and others took in the action at their first game.
Ohio Basketball Club 16u finished their super pool with a 3-0 record, all wins coming against some of Adidas' finest teams. Cincinnati prospects Devin Williams and Kevin Johnson enjoyed good days while college coaches flocked to the game. Representatives from Duke, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Wisconsin, Illinois, Tennessee and many more were there to watch OBC.
Shining Star 16u Schaeffer finished their pool 2-1 at the Adidas Invitational behind the play of Monty Boykins and Germantown Valley View SG Zach Denny. College coaches were in attendance from several mid-major schools to watch Boykins, as well as Dunbar PF Damarion Geter.
GameTime Magic also finished their pool 2-1, before bowing out in the first round of bracket play to Spiece Select.
Martin's Wolverines also went 2-1 in a super pool led by Austin Grimes as coaches from Akron, Toledo, James Madison, and more looked at Grimes and Dontonio Wingfield. Xavier was also present to watch big man Maverick Morgan, an addition to CPHR's rankings (out of Springboro).
Stay tuned to CPHR as we hit the road this weekend to cover the King James Summer Showcase in Chicago, and recap all the action in Indianapolis once the tournaments end.
Special thanks goes out to Coach JB from the Knights for all his help in keeping CPHR informed of everything that is going on in Indy!
Cincy Prep Hoops Report has just released new rankings for the four high school classes of next school year. All lists are always a work in progress, so email or comment if you disagree.
The main focus of the updated rankings was to expand the area of coverage- fans will notice that stars from Franklin and Springboro are now included in the rankings. '13 was the only class in which a change was made in the top as Devin Williams, who has some highlights featured above, can no longer be denied the top spot (and a likely top 100 national ranking).
Thanks to Rick Broering of NKY Sports Blog for shooting this footage of Williams yesterday at the Queen City Prophets July Tune-Up event. Starting on Wednesday CPHR will be bringing you as much coverage as we can from the July AAU recruiting period, in which college coaches are allowed to attend games. The first round of tourneys run in Indianapolis, Louisville, and Chicago. Stay tuned for all the info........
QCP's Ramar Hairston attacks Rozelle Nix of GameTime Magic
Some thoughts on the teams that participated in Saturday's scrimmages at Rockdale academy, hosted by the Queen City Prophets: Photos
Queen City Prophets 17u: The addition of PG Lionel “Bubba” Hill, who joined the team for States, has taken this team to the next level as they really competed in all their games today. Hill, who would be a hotly recruited player if he were a little taller, is a tough guard with great quickness and unlimited confidence in his scoring abilities from anywhere inside half court. Guards Darrell Bullock (West High) and Kendall Beamon (Withrow) were also scoring threats today for QCP; to go with the usual offensive production of PF Michael Van Kleunen (Mason).
Cincinnati Knights 17u: Very talented team that just could not get a rhythm today. An unexpectedly close game with the Prophets 17u squad and a loss to GameTime Magic make the day a failure for the Knights, but they are able to use it as a teaching point for their July schedule. PG Semaj Christon ('11 Winton Woods) was the leading scorer and playmaker for the Knights as he constantly broke through pressure and scored through contact at the rim, while showing an improved stroke from deep. Every time CPHR sees Christon it seems like his athleticism has improved as he is now consistently playing above the rim in the open floor and in traffic. SF Darrin Harris (Mason), although he saw limited shots, was also impressive today using his basketball IQ to take advantage of mismatches; whether it be posting smaller defenders or attacking slower ones.
Semaj Christon, of Cincy Knights, gets by his defender
GameTime Magic 17u: 2-1 day for GTM, with two great wins and one disappointing loss. After being upset by the younger QCP 16u team the Magic really responded and posted impressive wins over the Cincinnati Knights (2nd time in as many tourneys) and the Prophets 17u squad. SG Deontez McGee (Norwood) was the leader today, providing both toughness on the defensive end and scoring on the offensive end. Guards Malcolm Smith (Princeton), Louis Walker (North College Hill), and Deion Isham (Princeton) all played efficiently inside today as well. On the interior improving center prospects Rozelle Nix (Withrow) and De'arius “Tank” Young (Princeton) were able to control the boards, leading their team to the wins.
A-Game Athletics 17u: A new program that is going to make a name for itself, led by former UC player Armein Kirkland. SF Ulysses Thomas (Princeton '11), who is headed to Prep School, was the leading scorer while PG Max Hassell (Clark) ran the offense efficiently.
Queen City Prophets 16u: The surprise team of the day turned some heads with impressive wins over three teams, including an upset of the old GameTime Magic squad. Even playing shorthanded QCP was able to will its way to victories with some intense defense and unselfish offense. The leading scorers for the Prophets were PF Joe Cossins (Anderson), SG Ramar Hairston (Northwest), and C Cortez Adams (West High); who were all effective at scoring around the basket off of drives.
The Prophets' Lionel "Bubba" Hill
Queen City Prophets 15u: PG Ronnie Rousseau continues his rise towards elite status in '14 with his stellar play on both ends of the floor. Rousseau had his jumpshot going while crossing his man over constantly and creating opportunities in the paint. SG Kevin Daniels (Hughes) and PG Isaiah Jones (Northwest '15) were also effective today for QCP.
Ohio Tarheels 15u: Playing without their two 6'7 studs (Roderick Mills and Vincent Edwards) the Tarheels were still able to get multiple wins. SG Grant Benzinger and SF Devon Goodson were the leading contributors for the team; Benzinger's creativity and jumpshot propelled the team, complemented by Goodson's outstanding athleticism.
Shining Star (Hill) 15u: Team finished 1-1 today, including a solid team performance in a win against QCP's 15u squad. '13 PF Kwan Cheatham of Winton Woods, along with '14 prospects PG Frank Catrine (Bishop Fenwick), PG Ishmael Carter (Walnut Hills), and SG Devyn Walker (Northwest) all were impressive today for the Stars. Cheatham is a 6'7 combo forward with a nice stroke from deep, Catrine is a tough minded guard with a nice handle and fearlessness when attacking the rack, Carter is a strong lead guard with nice athleticism, and Walker was able to score around the rim and hit from behind the arc. New addition Adam Gigax, a 6'6 PF from Moeller, also was able to stretch the defense with his jumpshot.
'13 SG Corey Wise, formerly of Hamilton, will be enrolling this week at Withrow HS after moving into the Cincinnati Public School district last week. Wise, a 6'2 scoring wing presently ranked as one of Cincinnati's top 20 rising juniors, averaged a little under 10 points per game last season for the Big Blue; earning him second team all conference honors.
Hamilton, who has a young but talented team returning, will really miss Wise's ability to attack defenders off the bounce and his nice shooting stroke from mid-range and deep. For Withrow, Corey might be the missing piece to really take this team to the next level. The Tigers had the look of a team with plenty of guards and posts but not many wings, the addition of Wise gives them another scoring threat that can stretch the floor.
CPHR's #1 prospect from the class of '11, consistently mentioned as one of the top players in the country, will not be heading to Florida State University this fall. Instead, former Withrow SG Aaron Thomas will spend a year at Brewster Academy, in New Hampshire, one of the top prep school basketball programs in the country. Aaron will stay committed to FSU and hopes to go there in the fall of '12. During his year at Brewster Thomas will lead a team as talented as anyone in the country, and also have an opportunity away from distractions to focus in on a minor academic issue. Since he did graduate from Withrow HS, Thomas will use his year at Brewster as a post-grad year. A 6'5 wing with unlimited scoring abilities and great athleticism, Thomas should continue to enjoy a terrific future and career; where his year at Brewster will only help with that.
