AJ Hammons - Phenom Hoop Report

The perfect season

February 29, 2012 by Rick Lewis 3 Comments

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The Record

Coming into the 2011-12 season, Coach Steve Smith and Oak Hill had won the mythical national championship seven times (1993, 1994, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2005, and 2007). In addition, Oak Hill has been runners-up six times (1990, 1992, 2000, 2002, 2006 and 2009) and in 2009, the Warriors were 40-0 before losing the final game of the season. Ironically, Coach Smith and Oak Hill captured the most wins in school history with 40 wins in 2006 and 2009 but failed to win the national championship. Overall, Coach Smith had an impressive 816-53 record for a winning percentage of 94% as Oak Hill continues to play one of the toughest schedules year in and year out. During this time frame, Coach Smith had recorded three 40 win seasons and was named the National High School Coach of the Year by USA Today in 1994, 1999, and 2004 and just recently was named the Naismith Coach of the Year for the 2011-12 season making it the second time he has received this prestigious honor and is the only coach to win the award twice. And like any great head coach, he is surrounded by a high quality staff of assistant coaches such as Coach Bryan Meagher, Coach Wilbur Allen, and Coach Taylor Conn. Coach Meagher is in his ninth year as an assistant coach while Coach Allen and Coach Conn are in their fourth season with the Warriors. In addition, Coach Allen is a 2001 Oak Hill graduate and was a member of the Oak Hill national runner-up team in 2000 as well as the National Championship team of 2001.

The Beginning

In our October 9^th issue of the Phenom Hoop Report, we wrote the following: Last season, Oak Hill finished 29-4 and Coach Smith stated “that is totally unacceptable at Mouth of Wilson.” Coming into the 2011-12 season, the roster was solid but was missing some of the marquee names that had won the Warrior uniform. There was no Brandon Jennings, Carmelo Anthony, Doron Lamb, Jerry Stackhouse, Josh Smith, Rajon Rondo, Tywon Lawson, Kevin Durant, Rod Strickland, or Ron Mercer. We even stated, “They may not have any players that will make the McDonald’s All American team such as Quinn Cook of last year’s team and current member of Duke University.” That being said, there seemed to be a “quiet optimism” on the “Hill” concerning this year’s 2011-12 team. Many scouting gurus stated this year’s team had more depth and quality than the prior year, but the idea of Oak Hill going undefeated wasn’t in the conversation early on especially with the difficult schedule Coach Smith had put together. While the backcourt was especially strong, very few thought this year’s team had the high elite level player on the roster to separate themselves from other nationally ranked teams in the country.

In this year’s Oak Hill Warriors media guide, the theme for the upcoming season was “Win as One” and they did exactly that! Aristotle once stated “the sum is greater than the individual parts” and this phrase could not have been more fitting than this year’s team. Going into the season, Oak Hill didn’t even have a “lock” player for the prestigious McDonald All American team. However, as the season progressed, the Warriors had three strong candidates in 6’5 Jordan Adams, 6’3 D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera and 5’11 Tyler Lewis. Lewis was recently named to the McDonald All American team and became the 28th Warrior to be worthy of this honor. (And in our opinion, both Adams and Smith-Rivera equally deserved) That being said, no statement captured this year’s team better than Coach Steve Smith quote in the current media guide that stated “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships” and this philosophy could not be more fitting. Even current board member Marshall Frank wrote the following, “I have followed Steve Smith and his Oak Hill Warriors for many years first as a fan, second as a parent and now as a member of the Board of Trustees. I’m not an expert, but I do study people very closely and have a simple observation about the 2011-12 Oak Hill Team. My primary observation about this team is that it has the best team chemistry of any Oak Hill team observed over the past 15-20 years. These kids “have each other’s backs” and revel in seeing their teammates succeed. No wonder they have set a winning record.”

While many people think it is easy coaching a high profile team with talented players across the country, one of the most difficult jobs as a coach is to get players to “buy into the system” and make sacrifices for the sake of the team. This year’s team had an influx of new players and all of them “was the man” on their perspective high school team. While Oak Hill returned Jordan Adams, Damien Wilson, AJ Hammons, RJ Curington and Victor Ieronymides, Coach Smith brought in players like D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Tyler Lewis, Jordan Tebutt, Montarius Hall, Ike Iroegbu and Darion Clark. You had a team of players from five different states and one foreign country. (Indiana, North Carolina, Georgia, California, Oregon and Cyprus).

Month of October

On the back of the Oak Hill 2011-12 media guide, the quote by former UCLA John Wooden stated “It’s amazing what can be accomplishedwhen no one cares who gets the credit” and his philosophy and mindset by the Oak Hill team enabled them to a perfect 44-0 and become the winnginest team in Oak Hill history and it all started in the preparation leading up to the month of October. Oak Hill open up the pre-season with scrimmage games against Fork Union Military Academy, Massanuttan Military and an early regular season game against Covenant Christian of Atlanta, Georgia. While Oak Hill cruised to wins over the FUMA, Massanuttan and Covenant Christian, the game that meant more to Coach Steve Smith, staff and players was the October 25^th scrimmage against a loaded Hargrave Military Academy in Roanoke, Virginia. A year ago Hargrave dismantled Oak Hill and that devastating loss set the tone for a disappointing 29-4 record. However, this year would be different and the mindset of the players and the preparation of the coaching staff would set the tone for the perfect season. The Oak Hill vs. Hargrave Military Academy was a marquee game with plenty of talent on both sides. The teams would play two 20 minute halves and an extra period of a 12 minute running clock. The halftime score was Oak Hill 49 and Hargrave 44. The second half was a mirror image of the first half in terms of the score as Oak Hill outscored Hargrave 47-42 and won the scrimmage by the score of 96-86. (The final extra period of a 12 minute running clock ending up in a16-16 tie) Without question, the implications of this game was more than just a scrimmage as both teams played with intensity and passion as if the game was for the national championship. What’s more impressive is Hargrave Military has also gone undefeated this season. For Oak Hill, it was the beginning of something special!

Month of November

Oak Hill then travelled to Winston-Salem, North Carolina to play against a talented Quality Education Academy. Last season, QEA led Oak Hill by 18 before the Warriors rallied back to win by one. The game was being played at Lawrence Joel Veteran Memorial Coliseum (home of the Wake Forest University) Oak Hill won in an impressive fashion by the score of 84-69. Leading the way for the Warriors were Jordan Adams with 23, Tyler Lewis with 19 points and 14 assists, D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera with 18 points and AJ Hammons with 6 points, 9 rebounds and 9 block shots. Oak Hill moved to 2-0 on the season (not counting scrimmage wins over FUMA, Massanuttan Military and Hargrave Military) Oak Hill finished off the month of November with an 11-0 record before heading off to play in the 16^th Annual Marshall County Hoopfest in Benton, Kentucky.

Month of December

This would be a big test for the Warriors as they would play back to back games against Hales Franciscan of Chicago, Illinois and then nationally ranked LaLumiere HS of Indiana. On Friday night, December 2^nd, Oak Hill dismantles Hales Franciscan by the score of 108-66. Oak Hill broke open the game in the second quarter and went on to a 108-66 victory. 6’3 senior SG D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera led the team in scoring with 22 points. Jordan Adams chipped in 19 points. 7’0 center AJ Hammons continued his stellar play this season by having a monster all around game. He finished with 12 points and grabbed 9 rebounds and blocked 7 shots. Tyler Lewis enjoyed another double-double as he finished with 12 points and dished out 10 assists. While Oak Hill was winning in a convincing factor, LaLumiere enjoyed the night off and was sitting courtside with the luxury of scouting their opponent the following night. That being said, Oak Hill came out focused and came away with an impressive 77-59 victory. Oak Hill was led by D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera as he tallied 26 points while Jordan Adams chipped in 20 points. AJ Hammons finished with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 5 block shots while 5’11 PG Tyler Lewis tallied 13 points.

The next big challenge for Oak Hill was the marquee matchup at the 5^th Annual Team Takeover High School Hoops Festival at the famed DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Maryland. This early season game was between nationally ranked power house teams in Oak Hill Academy and Grace Prep Academy. Grace Prep featured 7’0 Isaiah Austin who is considered one of the top players in the country. Oak Hill entered the game with a 14-0 record while Grace Prep was undefeated with a 7-0 record. While Oak Hill came into the contest as the higher ranked team, the general consensus among many of the scouting services in attendance was Grace Prep had more individual talent and was clearly the more athletic of the two teams. While Oak Hill came away with a hard fought 68-59 victory, there were plenty of story lines associated with this game. PG Tyler Lewis led Oak Hill in scoring with 23 points, but also dished out 5 assists and grabbed 5 rebounds. Jordan Adams finished with 19 points along with 8 rebounds while D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera chipped in 15 points. 7’0 Center AJ Hammons tallied 9 points but finished with 10 rebounds. Oak Hill moved to 15-0 and the next big challenge for the Warriors was against nationally ranked Millers Grove of Atlanta, Georgia. This game was being played at Morehouse College and was nationally televised on ESPN. Oak Hill hung on for the 82-79 win and was led in scoring by D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera with 20 points while Tyler Lewis chipped in 18 points and dished out 8 assists. Jordan Adams tallied 13 points while Montarius Hall came off the bench for 10 points. Oak Hill then moved to 17-0 and still had eight games remaining on their demanding December schedule.

The next challenge for Oak Hill was the Chick-Fil-A Tournament that was held in Columbia, South Carolina. Oak Hill entered the tournament with an 18-0 record and opened up against a solid West Town team from West Town, PA. Oak Hill was clicking on all cylinders and won going away by the score of 93-43. The next night, Oak Hill faced a scrappy and home town favorite and defending South Carolina 2A State Champions W.J. Keenan. Oak Hill survived a scare as they preserved a 68-67 victory. Leading the way for Oak Hill was Tyler Lewis with 18 points and 7 assists while backcourt mate D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera chipped in 14 points. In addition, Jordan Adams tallied 14 points. AJ Hammons did not play in this game and his inside presence was solely missed. Without question, Oak Hill dodged a major bullet in this game.. Oak Hill moved to 20-0 and faced another nationally ranked team in Paul VI for the tournament championship. This time around, the Warriors played to their potential and won in an impressive fashion by the score of 76-55. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera led the way with 17 points, Darion Clark chipped in 16 points while Jordan Adams finished with 12 points. Tyler Lewis scored 6 points but broke the single game assist record at the tournament with a game high 15 assists. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera was named Tournament MVP. Oak Hill moved to 21-0 and had a few days off before heading out to Portland, Oregon to play in the Les Schwab Invitational. Oak Hill steamrolled in their first three games before playing yet another nationally ranked team in Jesuit of Portland, Oregon. Oak Hill played well enough to win and came away with a 57-50 victory. In the championship game, D’Vauntes Smith came up big with 23 points while backcourt mate Tyler Lewis chipped in 10 points and his play in the three previous games were enough to earn him Tournament MVP. After a brutal 15 game December schedule, Oak Hill finished the 2011 calendar year with a 25-0 record. The team headed home for a well deserved 10 day break.

Month of January

The team returned back to school and had a game against Christian Faith Academy. Oak Hill won easily by the score of 87-57 and was gearing for its next marquee game against another nationally ranked team in Prestonwood High School of Texas led by 6’9 Julius Randle and 6’10 Zach Peters. Like previous games against nationally ranked competition, the Warriors were clicking on all cylinders by winning in a convincing matter. Oak Hill won easily by the score of 85-55 and the buzz surrounding this year’s team was growing. Jordan Adams led the team in scoring with 23 points while D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera chipped in 16 points. In addition, Tyler Lewis enjoyed another double-double by scoring 15 points and dishing out 10 assists. Oak Hill then moved to 27-0 and went on to finish out the month of January with an impressive 32-0 record.

Month of February

The next challenge on the Oak Hill schedule was against Arlington Country Day and after a tight first half, the Warriors turned up the defensive intensity in the second half for a 77-52 victory. The backcourt trio of Smith-Rivera, Adams and Lewis led the way once again as they tallied 55 of the 77 points scored. The Warriors then played on back to back nights but the game that decided the fate for the balance of the season was against Christ School when Oak Hill won in overtime by the score of 71-63. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera had a monster game as he tallied 37 points while Jordan Adams contributed 14 points while Tyler Lewis chipped in 8 points while battling a stomach virus. The Warriors showed tremendous resiliency and moved to 35-0 for the season and the once “quiet optimism” back in October was starting to grow. It was no longer a “quiet optimism” but one of anticipation and excitement. With nine games remaining, the staff and players all knew they had a chance and opportunity to do something special. One roadblock was a road trip to Red Springs, NC to face a dangerous Flora McDonald team that eventually went on to win the NCISAA State Championship in their classification. The Warriors entered the contest with a 40-0 record with a possibility of breaking the single season win record. That being said, Oak Hill came ready to play and won going away by the score of 73-51 as Jordan Adams and D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera both scored 24 points while Tyler Lewis chipped in 12 points and 10. With this win, the 2011-12 Oak Hill Warriors became the winningest team in school history with three more home games. Oak Hill went on to win in convincing fashion as they etched their names in the history books at the storied high school program.

Win as One

The team that started the season with no marquee names came together to “Win as One.” The hard work and dedication by the players and coaches all started from day one when the team arrived on campus in late August. Coach Smith often stated he really liked the work ethic and togetherness this year’s team exhibited. The togetherness carried throughout the season and Coach Smith’s quote “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships” will be the torch for the 2011-12 Oak Hill Warriors team. Coach Smith won lost record now stands at 860-53. Earlier in the season Coach Smith stated “he really liked this team and hoped he would still like them comeFebruary.” Well, February has come and gone and my guess is he likes this team even better.

2011-12 Roster

Tyler Lewis
Ike Iroegbu
D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera
RJ Curington
Jordan Adams
Damien Wilson
Victor Ieronymides
Jordan Tebutt
Darion Clark
Montarius Hall
AJ Hammons

Head Coach Steve Smith
Assistant Coach Bryan Meagher
Assistant Coach Wilbur Allen
Assistant Coach Taylor Conn

Filed Under: Featured, Phenom Reports Tagged With: 44-0, AJ Hammons, Damien Wilson, Darion Clark, D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Ike Iroegbu, Jordan Adams, Jordan Tebutt, Montarius Hall, Oak Hill, perfect season, records, RJ Curington, Steve Smith, Tyler Lewis, Victor Ieronymides

Player Profile: A.J. Hammons

January 19, 2012 by Rick Lewis 1 Comment

PHENOM HOOP REPORT FEATURE PLAYER: A.J. HAMMONS

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 23^rd, 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 2^nd, 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 27^th, 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 29^th, 2011 Issue
Player: AJ Hammons
Grade: 168
PPG: 7.7
RPG: 7.2
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 19^th, 2012
Player: AJ Hammons
PPG: 7.5
RPG: 7.9
BPG: 3.6
FG%: 64%

Evaluation: With the exception of the game against Miller 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 8^th National High School Championship.

Filed Under: Featured, Phenom Reports Tagged With: AJ Hammons, Oak Hill

Hoop Hall Classic recap

January 17, 2012 by Rick Lewis Leave a Comment

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 8^th 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 10^th 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 3^rd quarter over the NCISAA 3-A number 5 team in the 3^rd 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 8^th 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

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!

Filed Under: Featured, Phenom Reports Tagged With: Aaron Roundtree, Adrian Wimbach, AJ Hammons, Christian Hairston, Chuck Ogbodo, Darion Clark, Diante Baldwin, Dominique Williams, D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Ibrahima Diallo, Jackson Kent, Jaquel Richmond, Jordan Adams, Jordan Sharpe, Julius Randle, Khalea Turner, Kris Jenkins, Lucas Martin-Julien, Mickey Mitchell, Montay Brandon, Nate Britt, Quayshad Williams, Reed Lucas, Ricardo Gathers, RJ Currington, Sam Hughes, Sam Hunt, Tarvon Julien, Tevin Findlay, Theo Pinson, Tracy Gathings, Tyler Lewis, Zach Peters

Les Schwab Invitational: Semi-Finals

December 30, 2011 by Rick Lewis Leave a Comment

In the night’s first semi-final game between Central Catholic and Jesuit, the game was nip and tuck from start to finish. Jesuit was able to squeeze out a 52-50 victory over a scrappy Central Catholic team that upset national powerhouse Riverside Academy by a demanding margin the night before. For Jesuit, the story line of the game was balance as 10 players got into the scoring column. Jesuit is a fundamentally sound team that is patience on the offensive end of the court and has constant movement on offense. They simply are a “pure” basketball team that knows how to maximize their talent and has depth at every position on the court. From a purist point of view, Jesuit is a team that executes to perfection and will flat wear down the opposing team on the defensive end of the floor. What’s even more impressive is the fact that not one single player for Jesuit scored in double figures, but SF Sean Milligan, Max Rich, and Jack Hackman all chipped in 9 points apiece while PG Khyan Rayner scored 8 point. More importantly, the bench for Jesuit was bigtime as they contributed 24 of the 52 points! For Central Catholic, SG Danny Brakebush chipped in 13 points while SF Austin Dyer and PF Reid Callan both scored 10 points apiece. Again, the turnover margin was the difference in the game as Central Catholic turned the ball over 17 times compared to 12 turnovers for Jesuit. Jesuit is now 8-0 for the season and will face Oak Hill in the championship game that will be televised on ESPNU Friday night.

In the final game of the evening, Oak Hill came out with an impressive mindset as they took control of the game early and never looked back. Oak Hill simply put on an exhibition on both ends of the floor, but it was their defensive intensity that was clearly the difference. The Warriors exhibited its early season defensive pressure and played with passion and a purpose. Oak Hill won convincingly over a very strong Westview team which is lead by 6’11 Landen Lucas who has signed with Kansas. The final score was 80-43! Leading the way for Oak Hill was SG D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera with 18 points. One of the best characteristics of a young player is how they perform after a poor performance the night before and DSR passed the test with flying colors. On Wednesday night, Smith-Rivera went 1-12 from the floor for a season low 2 points. As the old saying goes, “you’re only as good/bad as your last game” and Smith-Rivera put that game in the past. Smith-Rivera went 7-10 from the floor (1-2 from the 3 point line) and 3-4 from the free throw line and was able to consistently get into the lane for his patented midrange jumper. Jordan Adams tossed in 11 points going 5-9 from the floor (1-3 from the 3 point line) and also corralled 4 rebounds. PG Tyler Lewis chipped in 9 points going 3-6 from the floor (1-2 from the 3 point line) and 2-2 from the free throw line. More importantly, he dished out a team high 10 assists and now has 1001 career assists along with over 2500 career points. RJ “Microwave” Curington came off the bench and was clicking on all cylinders. Curington finished with 15 points going 5-7 from the floor (2-4 from the 3 point line) and 3-3 from the free throw line. Damien Wilson was efficient coming off the bench with 10 points going a perfect 4-4 from the floor and 2-2 from the free throw line. AJ Hammons has been battling a virus and responded to the challenge of playing against Landen Lucas. Hammons tallied 7 points but collected 9 rebounds. Other Warriors that got into the scoring column was Jordan Tebbutt with 6 while Ike Iroegbu added 4 points.

For Westview, Landen Lucas chipped in 14 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. He went 5-12 from the floor and 4-8 from the free throw line. The other bright spot for Westview was SG Bonhan Stafford with 12 points. He went 4-6 from the 3 point line.

Simply put, it was a total exhibition of efficiency for Oak Hill. They shot 31-51 from the floor for 61% and went 7-15 from the 3 point line for 47% and an impressive 11-13 from the free throw line. Oak Hill out-rebounded Westview 32 to 21 and enjoyed a 16 assist to 8 turnover ratio. Without question, the Warriors took care of the basketball and shot efficiency and effectively from the floor. The Warriors bench scored 36 of the 80 points scored and the overall depth was too much for Jesuit.

Oak Hill will now advance to the Les Schwab Invitational Championship game that will be televised by ESPNU. The Warriors now move to 24-0 for the season.

Filed Under: Phenom Reports Tagged With: AJ Hammons, Austin Dyer, Bonhan Stafford, Damien Wilson, Danny Brakebush, D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Jack Hackman, Jordan Adams, Landen Lucas, Max Rich, Reid Callan, RJ Curington, Sean Milligan, Tyler Lewis

Les Schwab Invitational: Championship Game

December 30, 2011 by Rick Lewis Leave a Comment

After a grueling schedule of 15 games within a 30 day time frame in December, Oak Hill earned a hard fought win over a deliberate and patience Jesuit team for a 57-50 victory and the Les Schwab Invitational Championship. The victory moves Oak Hill to an impressive 25-0 record and has equally impressive wins over Hargrave Military Academy (Exhibition), Quality Education, Stoneridge Prep, LaLumiere, Grace Prep Academy, and Miller Grove. Coming into the Les Schwab Invitational, conventional wisdom pegged the championship would be a battle between nationally ranked Riverside Academy and Oak Hill Academy. That being said, the Oregon teams exemplified team basketball at its finest. The majority of the Oregon teams that made it to the semi-finals showcased an “Ivy League” tempo that will give more athletic teams problems. Jesuit came into the game with an 8-0 record and 3 consecutive 6A Oregon State Championships and they were not going to be pushed over by anyone, especially Oak Hill.

In the championship game, Oak Hill jumped out to an early 17-7 first quarter lead and appeared to be in total control and command of the game. Like a boxing opponent, Jesuit took a lot of body punches, but never went down for the count and showed resiliency and toughness and outscored the Warriors by the score of 14-11 in the second quarter. At halftime, the Oak Hill lead was 28-21. The story line for the game was Jesuit was able to control the tempo and play their style of game. Jesuit exhibited patience with constant movement that led to open looks and Jesuit converted and made the game interesting and close. Oak Hill was able to hold on to the lead and pull out a hard earned 57-50 victory. Leading the way for Oak Hill was SG D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera with a game high 23 points. Smith-Rivera went 7-13 from the floor (1-2 from the 3 point line) and 8-9 from the free throw line. In addition, Smith-Rivera tied with rebounding honors with a game high 6 rebounds along with AJ Hammons and Jordan Adams. Tyler Lewis chipped in 10 points going 3-7 from the floor and 4-4 timely free throws down the stretch for Oak Hill. Lewis dished out 4 assists but also had an unusual 4 turnovers for the game, although two of the palming violations were questionable. In addition, Lewis collected 3 rebounds. That being said, it was not the typical performance for the senior PG. Jordan Adams tallied 8 points but also had an off game by going 4-13 from the floor (0-3 from the 3 point line) and 0-1 from the free throw line. Adams did contribute in other areas as he collected 6 rebounds and had 2 steals. AJ Hammons contributed 6 points going 3-4 from the floor and also collected 6 rebounds. The “unsung” hero for Oak Hill tonight was Damien Wilson. Wilson came off the bench and had 7 points going 2-4 from the floor and 3-4 from the free throw line. He also collected 5 rebounds. Darion Clark chipped in 3 points and grabbed 2 rebounds.

Jesuit once again had balance scoring as 6’1 WG Rick Maddock tallied 14 points going 6-11 from the floor (1-5 from the 3 point line) and 1-1 from the free throw line. Junior guards Xavier Coleman and Khyan Rayner both chipped in 11 points. Coleman went 5-8 from the floor (0-2 from the 3 point line) and 1-2 from the free throw line. Rayner went 4-15 from the floor (3-11 from the 3 point line). 6’7 PF Max Rich chipped in 8 points and collected 5 rebounds.

Oak Hill shot 20-25 from the floor for 45% but only managed 1-7 from the 3 point line. On the other hand, Jesuit shot 19-49 for 39%, but did manage to hit 6-25 3 pointers (with the majority coming in the second half). Oak Hill went 16-20 from the free throw line for 80% while Jesuit went 6-9 for 67%. Oak Hill outrebounded Jesuit by the margin of 33 to 24. The Achilles heel for the Warriors was the 12 turnovers compared to 8 for Jesuit.

D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera was named game MVP, but was mysteriously left off the All Tournament team. Unfortunately, like many tournaments across the country the voting and selection is done prior to the championship game. Jordan Adams was named to the All Tournament team and teammate Tyler Lewis was named Tournament MVP. Adams scored 64 points for the tournament for 16 PPG scoring average. Adams shot 28-53 from the floor for 52% (4-13 from the 3 point line for 30%) but went an uncharacteristic 4-8 from the free throw line. Adams also grabbed 27 rebounds for the 4 day tournament for 6.75 RPG. Tyler Lewis scored 60 point for the tournament for a 15 PPG scoring average. Lewis went 24-39 from the floor for 61% (2-6 from the 3 point line for 33%) but went 10-11 from the free throw line for 90%. Lewis dished out 27 assists for 6.75 APG. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera also chipped in 60 points for the 4 day event for an average of 15 PPG. Smith-Rivera went 20-49 from the floor for 40% (4-17 from the 3 point line for 23.5%) but went an impressive 13-15 from the free throw line for 86%. Smith-Rivera also grabbed 17 rebounds for a 4.25 average. Unfortunately for Smith-Rivera, the voting for all tournament team was done prior the start of the championship game which is absolutely ridiculous. While the play of Lewis in the first three games were deserving of MVP honors, the play of Smith-Rivera in the semi-final and final game was equally deserving of MVP honors, much less All Tournament. Oak Hill is now 25-0 for the season and will be on a well deserved Winter Break until January 10^th, 2012.

Filed Under: Phenom Reports Tagged With: AJ Hammons, Damien Wilson, Darion Clark, D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Jordan Adams, Khyan Rayner, Max Rich, Rick Maddock, Tyler Lewis, Xavier Coleman

Les Schwab Invitational Day 1

December 28, 2011 by Rick Lewis Leave a Comment

Oak Hill came into the Les Schwab Invitational with an impressive 21-0 record and recent Classic One Chick-Fil-A Championship in Columbia, South Carolina. Oak Hill won easily and moved to 22-0 for the season and advanced to the quarter-finals of the LSI. The Warriors recorded a 93 to 53 victory and seems to be on cruise control for the majority of the game. Leading the way for Oak Hill was PG Tyler Lewis and SG Jordan Adams. Lewis and Adams both enjoyed team scoring honors with 19 points. Lewis was an efficient 8-12 from the floor (1-3 from the 3 point line) and 2-3 from the free throw line while Adams went 8-14 from the floor and 3-9 from the 3 point line. Lewis also recorded 5 assists, 3 steals and 2 rebounds (2 TO). Adams grabbed 5 rebounds and also recorded 3 steals. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera chipped in 14 points going 5-14 from the floor (2-7 from the 3 point line) and 2-2 from the free throw line. Smith-Rivera also grabbed 4 rebounds, dished out 5 assists and had 2 steals. RJ Curington finished with 15 points going 6-9 from the floor (1-3 from the 3 point line) and 2-4 from the free throw line. Other Warriors getting into the action were AJ Hammons with 7 points and 9 rebounds, Jordan Tebbutt had 7 points and 7 rebounds, Montarius Hall chipped in 6 points and 4 rebounds, Darion Clark had 4 points and 6 rebounds while Ike Iroegbu finished with 2 points.

David Douglas was led by SF Taye Baker with 18 points going 6-17 from the floor (1-7 from the 3 point line) and 5-7 from the free throw line. PF Jeremiah Harris chipped in 14 points going 6-10 from the floor and grabbed 6 rebounds. SG Adrian Koza also scored 14 points going 4-5 from the floor (2-3 from the floor) and 2-2 from the free throw line.

For the game, Oak Hill shot 38-69 from the floor for an impressive 55% but only managed 7-26 from the 3 point line. David Douglas went 20-47 from the floor and 3-15 from the 3 point line. Oak Hill went 10-18 from the free throw line for 56% whereas David Douglas went 10-21 for a dismal 48%. Oak Hill clearly outrebounded the smaller team by the margin of 44 to 25. For the game, Oak Hill dished out 14 assists but committed 16 turnovers. Oak Hill now advanced to the quarterfinals to face Lincoln HS of Oregon. Smith-Rivera and Taye Baker were named game’s outstanding players.

In the final game of the day, it was powerful Yates HS of Texas against a well coached and fundamentally sound Wilsonville HS team from Oregon. Going into the 4^th quarter, Yates trailed Wilsonville 52-49 but outscored the Oregon team by the score of 22-5 in the final quarter. Simply put, it was the constant pressure defense and double teaming that wore down the upset minded Wilsonville team. Yates was led by Junior PG Darrion Martin who was simply solid throughout the night. He finished with 25 points gong 8-11 from the floor and 9-11 from the free throw line. The majority of his points came strictly off drives to the basket and probably didn’t attempt a shot outside of 10 feet all night long. He recorded 4 rebounds and had 1 steal, but the negative for Martin was his 5 turnovers and 0 assists. PF Clyde Santee also chipped in 20 points going 7-18 from the floor (1-4 from the 3 point line) and 4-4 from the free throw line. He collected 7 rebounds, but also had 5 turnovers. The one-two scoring punch of Santee and Martin combined for 45 of the 71 points for Yates.

Wilsonville was led by senior PG Kevin Marshall who was the leading scorer for his team. Marshall finished with 23 points going 8-13 from the floor and 8-13 from the free throw line. Unfortunately for Wilsonville, Marshall had 9 turnovers for the game. PF Sione Kauji was also solid for Wilsonville as he tallied 15 points going 8-13 from the floor and 4-4 from the free throw line.

Simply put, the game was an up and down high octane game filled with pressure defense, but was a turnover festival on both teams. Wilsonville committed 28 turnovers for the game while Yates committed 21 turnovers of their own. The main difference was Wilsonville turnovers were the results of pressure defense and constant double teaming whereas Yates committed the majority of their turnovers in transition. Yates went 25-63 from the floor for 39.7% and only 2-9 from the 3 point line for 22%. They did manage an impressive 19-25 from the free throw line for 76%. On the other hand, Wilsonville went 19-50 from the floor for 38% while only connecting on 1-5 three point attempts. Wilsonville also went an impressive 18-25 from the free throw line for 72%. Conventional wisdom would have been for Wilsonville to pack it in and force Yates to hit a jumper since the majority of their points came from the free throw line or drives to the basket. Kevin Marshall and Darrion Martin were named game’s outstanding players.

Filed Under: Phenom Reports Tagged With: Adrian Koza, AJ Hammons, Clyde Santee, Darion Clark, Darrion Martin, D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Ike Iroegbu, Jeremiah Harris, Jordan Adams, Jordan Tebbutt, Kevin Marshall, Montarius Hall, RJ Curington, Sione Kauji, Taye Baker, Tyler Lewis

Oak Hill claims Chick-Fil-A Tournament

December 23, 2011 by Rick Lewis Leave a Comment

Oak Hill vs. Paul VI (Classic I Chick-Fil-A Championship Game)

Oak Hill entered the contest with a 20-0 record against a very well coached and talented team Paul VI from Fairfax, Virgina. The big storyline would be the reaction from the Oak Hill team after dodging a big time bullet on Wednesday night. This time around, Oak Hill played with passion and emotion that had been missing since their win over Miller Grove on ESPN last Thursday night. Paul VI entered the contest with a perfect 10-0 record and was quickly moving into the national polls for their stellar play. That being said, Oak Hill led from start to finish and won easily by the score of 76-55.

Oak Hill once again enjoyed a balanced attack, but it was the play of PG Tyler Lewis that got Oak Hill off to a tremendous start as he dished out a team high 15 assists and broke the Chick-Fil-A single game assist record. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera led the team in scoring with 17 points going 6-8 from the floor and 3-3 from the 3 point line. He also went 2-2 from the free throw line and his shot was accurate and deadly for the game. Smith-Rivera also grabbed 5 rebounds and dished out 1 assist. Darion Clark looked extremely good since he was coming off an ankle injury and knocked in 16 points for the game going 6-7 from the floor with many of them coming off alley oop passes from Lewis. Clark also went 4-4 from the free throw line and had 1 rebound for the Warriors. Jordan Adams tallied 12 points going 4-14 from the floor but regained his touch from the 3 point line going 3-6. Adams had 4 rebounds and dished out 3 assists. Montarius Hall scored 8 points going 4-5 from the floor but had a team high 6 rebounds. RJ Curington chipped in 8 points going 4-7 from the field and collected 2 rebounds. Tyler Lewis was the team facilitator as he dished out a team high 15 assists and scored 6 points going 3-6 from the floor.

Others that got into the scoring action were Ike Iroegbu with 3 while Jordan Tebbutt, Damien Wilson, and AJ Hammons all scored 2 apiece.

6’3 Junior WG Stanford Robinson led the way for Paul VI with 16 points going 8-17 from the floor and 0-4 from the 3 point line. He also collected 4 rebounds. Robinson is an excellent athletic WG that loves to attack the basket. 6’6 Senior WG Coleman Johnson chipped in 14 points going 7-12 from the floor. Sharpshooter Patrick Holloway had an off night with 5 points going 1-9 from the floor. 6’7 Freshman Marcus Derrickson chipped in 8 points on 4-7 shooting, but looked impressive and confidence on the floor.

Oak Hill shot 31-53 from the floor for an impressive 59% while Paul VI went 24-59 for the game for 40%. Oak Hill went regained some of its confidence back from the 3 point line going 7-15 for 47% while Paul VI only managed a dismal 2-16 for 12%. Oak Hill stifling defense deserves a lot of credit as they played one of its better games on the defensive side of the ball. Oak Hill also won the battle of the boards with a 34 to 24 margin. Oak Hill played great team basketball and had 21 assists for the game compared to 12 for Paul VI.

Oak Hill is now 21-0 for the season and will travel to Portland, Oregon to participate in the Les Schwab Invitational December 27-30^th.

ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM

Classic I MVP: D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera (Oak Hill)

Classic I All-Tournament Team: Will Weeks (Christ School), Marcus Stroman (Keenan), Stan Robinson (Paul VI), Jordan Adams (Oak Hill), and Tyler Lewis (Oak Hill)

Oak Hill vs. Keenan 67 Chick-Fil-A Semi-Final Game

On paper, the Oak Hill matchup against South Carolina 2A should have been a no contest. That being said, the game is played on the basketball court and not on paper. While many thought this would be an easy road to the finals, I was a little more apprehensive concerning the W.J. Kennan team. To start with, Kennan has won back to back South Carolina state championships and was the tournament’s runner-up to powerful United Faith last year and returned the majority of its team. The story line here is when you have a team down by 12 at halftime, you simply can’t afford to allow the home team with the over whelming crowd support to stay in the game. The longer they stick around, the confidence factor continues to grow and that was simply the case. While Oak Hill dodged a bullet and escaped with a 68-67 victory, it is games like this that helps define a team.

Oak Hill was led by senior PG Tyler Lewis with 18 points going 6-13 from the floor and 5-6 from the free throw line. Lewis also dished out 7 assists and grabbed 4 rebounds while only committing 1 turnover for the game. Without question, Lewis made some key baskets down the stretch to help pad the necessary lead for the win. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera chipped in 17 points going 6-14 from the floor and 3-4 from the free throw line. Smith-Rivera had 3 rebounds and 2 assists. Jordan Adams scored 14 points going 6-13 from the floor and went 2-2 from the free throw line. Adams collected 6 rebounds and dished out 3 assists. Unfortunately, Smith-Rivera and Adams committed 7 turnovers collectively with the majority coming in the second half that hurt the Warriors during Keenan’s tremendous and exciting comeback. Others that contributed to the scoring were as follows: Damien Wilson 6 points, RJ Curington & Montarius Hall with 4 points, Darion Clark 3 points & 5 rebounds, and Jordan Tebbutt with 2 points.

For Keenam, the star was sophomore Marcus Stroman who finished with 23 points and 7 assists. He went 7-15 from the floor and a perfect 7-7 from the free throw line. Senior WG Erick Tisdale chipped in 17 points going 8-14 from the floor and 1-3 from the free throw line. Senior WF Quinton Johnson chipped in 12 points and 6 rebounds as Senior WG Trey Stroman finished with 11 points and 5 rebounds. Without question, one has to give the hometown favorite a lot of credit. They hung in there and had a great opportunity to pull one of the country’s biggest upsets in high school basketball.

The big story line for Oak Hill was the absence of 7’0 AJ Hammons as the Warriors missed his inside presence immensely. While Oak Hill did enjoy a superior height advantage, the pesky and more aggressive Keenan Raiders were quicker to ball and captured 28 rebounds to Oak Hill’s 32 rebounds. The other major story line was the uncharacteristic number of turnovers by Oak Hill as they only had 13 assists to 12 turnovers where as Keenan had 10 assists but only 10 turnovers. This was the first time all season that the Warriors had more turnovers than assists in a game. Oak Hill managed to shoot 27-52 from the floor for 52%, but they went a dismal 3-15 from the 3 point line for only 20%. On the other hand, Keenan enjoyed a sizable difference in free throw attempts but they only managed 10-20 from the charity stripe as Oak Hill went 11-14 for the positive difference for Oak Hill.

Sometimes, great teams need a little luck and on this night the Warriors escaped with a hard fought victory and most great teams will learn from the experience.

Oak Hill vs. Westtown (Game 1)

Oak Hill opened up with Westtown School in the 10^th Annual Chick-fil-A Classic held in Columbia, South Carolina. Westtown is lead by 6’10 Daniel Ochefu (Villanova) and consensus top 40 prospect. Simply put, the overall team play and overall depth of Oak Hill proved too much for the team from Pennsylvania. The Warriors was on cruise control as they tied the tournament record for the most points in one game of 93. Oak Hill won easily by the score of 93-43 and Coach Steve Smith was able to utilize his bench and rest his players for the next two nights of action.

The general theme for the game against Westtown was balance as six players scored in double figures and in the second half the Warriors were able to get out in transition and get some thunderous dunks that got the crowd roaring in approval. Oak Hill played unselfish and the box score illustrated exactly that.

Leading the way for the Warriors was 6’3 SG D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera with 16 points. He went 4-5 from the field and 2-5 from the 3 point line while going 2-2 from the free throw line. He dished out a team high 6 assists. 5’11 PG Tyler Lewis chipped in 14 points going 4-6 from the floor and 1-3 from the 3 point line while knocking in 3-4 from the free throw line. He dished out 3 assists and had 2 steals. 6’5 SG RJ “Microwave” Curington also contributed 14 points going 3-5 from the field and 2-3 from the 3 point line while going 2-4 from the free throw line. 6’5 SG Jordan Adams scored 10 points going 5-6 from the field but went 0-4 from the 3 point line. Adams also collected 10 rebounds while dishing out 3 assists for another outstanding all around game. 6’5 WF Damien Wilson got the crowd aroused in the second half with his impressive dunks as he went 4-6 from the floor and 2-2 from the free throw line. In addition, Wilson dished out 4 assists for the Warriors. 6’6 PF Monterius Hall also got into the double digit scoring act with 10 points going 5-6 from the floor. Others that contributed to the scoring totals were Jordan Tebbutt with 9 points, Ike Ierubu with 6 points while Darion Clark chipped in 4 points.

For the game, Oak Hill shot 62% for the game going 38-61 from the field and shot 62% from the free throw line going 9-15. The Warriors dished out 23 assists while committing only 7 turnovers. In addition, Oak Hill had 31 rebounds and had 15 steals. Oak Hill will now advance to the semi-finals to face last year’s runner up team W.J. Keenan of South Carolina.

Filed Under: Phenom Reports Tagged With: AJ Hammons, Coleman Johnson, Damien Wilson, Darion Clark, D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Erick Tisdale, Ike Iroegbu, Jordan Adams, Jordan Tebbutt, Marcus Derrickson, Marcus Stroman, Montarius Hall, Patrick Holloway, Quinton Johnson, RJ Curington, Trey Stroman, Tyler Lewis

Oak Hill vs. Grace Prep Academy

December 11, 2011 by Rick Lewis Leave a Comment

The marquee match up at the 5^th Annual Team Takeover High School Hoops Festival at the famed DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Maryland was between nationally ranked power house teams in Oak Hill Academy and Grace Prep Academy. Oak Hill came into the game with a 14-0 record while Grace Prep entered with a 7-0 record. While Oak Hill came into the contest as the higher ranked team, the general consensus among many of the scouting services in attendance was Grace Prep had more individual talent and was clearly the more athletic of the two teams. While Oak Hill came away with a hard fought 68-59 victory, there were plenty of story lines associated with this game.

Grace Prep featured one of the nation’s premier players in 7’0 Senior Center Isaiah Austin (Baylor University). Austin is extremely long at 7’0 and his mobility, skill, and size makes him one of the most unique players in the country. He has extremely “soft hands” and rarely does he miss an opportunity off an alley oop pass to slam it in for two points and has impeccable timing off missed shots for offensive put back dunks. In addition, he has the rare ability to step out and knock down the open ten foot jumper or put the ball on the floor for graceful moves to the basket. More importantly, he is an intimidating force on the interior when he plays with his hands up in the air with his enormous wingspan. Without question, we are talking about a future NBA lottery pick and the highest profile player in the game. In addition, look for 6’8 Junior PF Jordan Mickey to make a quantum leap in the national rankings for the 2013 class. He has excellent length and athleticism for his position. He too has the unique blend of athleticism and skill as he can play effectively with his back to the basket or step out and knock down the open ten foot jumper. In addition, throw in ever improving 6’4 Senior SG Jelon Hornbeak (Oklahoma) and 6’4 Super Sophomore Emmanuel Mudiay who is already touted as one of the premier players in the 2014 class and you have a lot of elite level talent.

Like a heavyweight boxing match between two prized fighters boxing for the World Title, the first few rounds were a feeling out process between Oak Hill and Grace Prep. Oak Hill won the first quarter by the score of 15-11. Both teams were a little nervous and the length of Austin caused problems on the interior early for Oak Hill as they missed some golden opportunities to score. By halftime, Grace Prep narrowed the score to one with Oak Hill leading 22-21, but Grace Prep won the quarter by outscoring the Warriors 10-7 to gain momentum going into the second half. The third quarter was an epic battle and the teams started to get into the groove and the action was intense and exciting. While Grace Prep was clicking on all cylinders in the third quarter, 5’11 Senior PG Tyler Lewis went from being team facilitator to the team’s scoring PG. Coach Steve Smith made a strategic move and went away from his set offense by setting a “flat screen” for Lewis each allowed him to create his own shot. This move by Coach Smith proved dividends for the Warriors. Lewis made key three point shots and got into the lane and utilized his floater to score 13 points alone in the exciting third quarter, but the most important shot came when the third quarter was winding down and Oak Hill was up by one when Lewis drained a three to put Oak Hill up by four going into the fourth quarter. Oak Hill gained momentum and then jumped out to a ten point lead and hung on for the 9 point win with clutch free throw shooting by D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera and Jordan Adams down the stretch when Grace Prep was forced to foul. Oak Hill made 14-18 free throws for the game and the majority of them coming in the crucial fourth quarter. Grace Prep was then forced to take more perimeter shots and AJ Hammons and Darion Clark was there to grab the rebounds. Oak Hill scored 46 second half points and their overall scoring depth was simply too much for Grace Prep Academy.

Oak Hill shot 24-71 from the floor for 34% (6-13 from the 3 point line) and going 14-18 from the free throw line. On the other hand, Grace Academy went 28-66 from the floor for 43% while going 0-3 from the free throw line and the difference from the free throw line was the big difference. Oak Hill benefited greatly down the stretch by knocking in important free throws by Adams and Smith-Rivera. In addition, Oak Hill seems more aggressive attacking the basket whereas Grace Prep seems more content on shooting more perimeter shots, with the exception of the alley oop passes to Austin. That being said, Grace Prep dominated the rebounding margin by corralling a team high 50 compared to 38 from Oak Hill and this difference (many on the offensive end) allowed Grace Prep an opportunity to stay in the game.

5’11 PG Tyler Lewis led the way for Oak Hill by having an outstanding all around game. He finished with a game high 22 points and went 8-13 from the floor (4-7 from the 3 point line) and 2-4 from the free throw line. He dished out 5 assist and grabbed 5 rebounds and even had 2 steals. Lewis simply put the team on his back in the second half and earned the game MVP honors. 6’5 WG Jordan Adams finished with 19 points going 6-16 from the field (2-2 from the 3 point line) and 5-6 from the free throw line. Adams had 8 rebounds but also had 4 big-time steals. 6’3 SG D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera tallied 15 points going 4-15 from the floor and 7-8 from the free throw line. DSR made the majority of his free throws down the stretch. 7’0 AJ Hammons finished with 9 points going 3-10 from the floor, but did corral 10 rebounds. 6’6 PF Darion Clark finished with 9 points going 3-10 from the floor and also grabbed a team high 10 rebounds along with Hammons.

While 7’0 Isaiah Austin finished with 16 points, mostly off alley oop passes and missed rebounds for dunks, he went 8-19 from the floor and even made a few face up baseline jumpers. In addition, he had a game high 13 rebounds and block 4 shots and altered dozens more as the Oak Hill front line only went 6-25 from the interior. Austin clearly was an intimidating force for Grace Prep and played more to his potential against Oak Hill. 6’8 Junior WF Jordan Mickey clearly has a bright future ahead of him. Mickey had an impressive 18 points going 9-16 from the floor while grabbing 13 rebounds and blocking 5 shots. These kinds of numbers would be a pretty good day at the office! Look for his stock to rise in the rankings. Another promising underclassman is 6’4 sophomore PG Emmanuel Mudiay. Mudiay finished with 9 points going 4-10 from the floor (1-4 from the 3 point line) He also dished out 8 assists with the only negative being 5 turnovers.

The game easily came down to a few things; one Oak Hill only had 11 turnovers/violations for the game while Oak Hill forced Grace Prep into 18 turnovers. In addition, Oak Hill simply knocked down free throws down the stretch. Oak Hill is now 15-0 for the season and plays Monday, December 11^th at Science Hill in Johnson City, Tennessee before its Thursday night game against Miller Grove on national TV.

Filed Under: Phenom Reports Tagged With: AJ Hammons, Darion Clark, D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Emmanuel Mudiay, Isaiah Austin, Jelon Hornbeak, Jordan Adams, Jordan Mickey, Steve Smith, Tyler Lewis

Oak Hill vs. Stoneridge Prep (California)

November 6, 2011 by Rick Lewis Leave a Comment

In today’s issue, we have a recap of the Stoneridge Prep (California) vs. Oak Hill Warriors game that was played on Saturday night at Oak Hill gymnasium. Stoneridge Prep came into the contest with a 2-1 record with impressive wins over LaHoya Prep and Impact Academy with a tough loss to a very talented Westwind Prep of Arizona. Oak Hill came into the contest with a 3-0 regular season record plus winning its pre-season scrimmage games vs. Fork Union, Massanuttan and Hargrave Military. On paper, the Stoneridge game appeared to be a formable opponent for the Warriors. The Warriors pulled out an 80-64 victory over a well coached and highly skilled team that played hard and executed their game plan nicely.

Oak Hill led Stonebridge 17-10 at the end of the 1^st quarter as the Warriors once again were stone cold from the perimeter. Stoneridge pulled within 3 early in the 2^nd quarter (17-14) and then the Warriors got rolling and went on a 22-5 run and led 39-19 at halftime. While Stoneridge ran a run in the 3^rd quarter, Oak Hill’s poise and half court precision execution was too much for the California base team. Below is a summary of individual performances for both teams. It should be noted that Stoneridge has some very talented prospects. First up is Oak Hill.

Player: 5’11 Tyler Lewis
Class: 2012
Commitment: NC State
Evaluation: Overall, this may have been one of Tyler’s all around games in an Oak Hill uniform. Tyler scored 20 points, dished out 6 assists, had 4 rebounds and 4 steals, but the most important statistic is Tyler had 0 turnovers and now has a 5:1 assist to turnover ratio for the season. Coming into the contest, many people knew Tyler was excellent in the open court and in transition, but he has been masterful in the half court set getting his teammates involved and running the team. In addition, he played solid defense and enjoyed a stellar performance. Playing in front of Bob Gibbons, he stated afterwards that Tyler is a legit top 40 player nationally in the 2012 class while well known Brick Oettinger of the ACC Sports Journal and Prep Stars has him currently ranked 32. His play early on justifies those rankings.

Player: 6’5 Jordan Adams
Class: 2012
Commitment: UCLA
Evaluation: For the second consecutive night, one of the country’s top shooting guards struggled to find his range and didn’t even hit a 3 pointer for the game, but still finished with 20 points for the game. The great thing about Jordan’s game is if his shot isn’t falling he finds ways to make things happen. Jordan attacked the rim and drew contact and fouls and made 8-8 free throws in the contest. In addition, Jordan had 8 rebounds and dished out 3 assists. While Jordan is nationally known as a shooter, he is the complete all around player and is a consensus top 30 player nationally in our opinion and should get consideration for the McDonald’s All American team. Simply put, there are not many SG that has the complete and total package as Jordan and he has all the fundamentals, basketball IQ and overall understanding of the game that separates him from his peers.

Player: 7’0 AJ Hammons
Class: 2012
Commitment: Purdue
Evaluation: As we correctly stated in our earlier Phenom Hoop Reports, Hammons is a “sleeping giant” and the young man from Indiana is proving his weight in gold. Remember, we are talking about a legit 7’0 with a massive frame that has an NBA body and frame. AJ scored 7 points, but corralled 10 rebounds and blocked 4 shots. AJ is definitely going to make a lot of people angry for not recruiting him harder in the pre-season. So far, the “sleeping giant” has awakened and may be the unsung player for this year’s team. He doesn’t have to score a lot of points to be effective and he is consistently grading out as one of Oak Hill’s top player. AJ has been motivated and inspired with his play early on and has shown a consistent work ethic on the court and has been displaying a great attitude.

Player: 6’3 D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera
Class: 2012
Commitment: Georgetown
Evaluation: It was another dreadful night from the perimeter from the reliable and accurate shooting guard from Indianapolis. He struggled early on, but adjusted his game in the second half to attacking the basket using this strong and muscular body to finish at the rim or draw fouls. D’Vauntes hit 5-6 free throws and finished with 17 points while adding 6 rebounds and dishing out 2 assists. That being said, D’Vauntes shooting mechanics and fundamentals are simply too good and it won’t be long before those perimeter shots are falling much for accurately and frequently. As we have stated previously, he just needs to allow the game come to him. He is too talented with a tremendous offensive arsenal.

Player: 6’5 RJ Currington
Class: 2013
Commitment: Open
Evaluation: My new nickname for RJ is “microwave” since he is fast becoming the first guy off the bench and brings instant offense. Again, he was pivotal coming in the 2^nd quarter by providing a spark that helped Oak Hill get on a roll and takes a commanding 20 point lead into halftime, but more importantly RJ brings instant energy and always seems to make something positive happen. Then again, maybe his nickname should be “sparkplug,” either way the talented junior WG is a high major talent and is simply gaining confidence in each and every game.

In addition, 6’6 PF Darion Clark added 4 points and 4 rebounds while 6’5 Memphis signee Damien Wilson had 2 points and 4 rebounds. Next up is the breakdown for Stoneridge and be sure to check these guys out.

Player: 6’9 Marko Gujanicic
Class: Post Graduate
Commitment: Open
Evaluation: Gujanicic is your genetic highly skilled European player. At 6’9, he can play on the perimeter or in the low post area. This past summer, Gujanicic played on the Serbian 19U National team and averaged 10 PPG and 6 RPG. He is highly skilled, fundamentally sound and is deadly from the 3 point line. He has the ability to put the ball on the floor and is excellent ball handler and passer for his size and position. Gujanicic enjoyed a solid night for his team by having a team high 18 points. He is very versatile and fluid and without question is a lock for mid major plus program and could easily step into a high major program that is in need of a talented face up PF. Currently, he has offered from UTEP and Rhode Island, but this list should continue to grow once more schools find out about the talented Gujanicic. In speaking with his high school coach, Gujanicic is averaging 17 PPG, 11 RPG and 4 APG for Stoneridge in their first 4 games. Pretty impressive numbers for a pretty impressive player!

Player: 6’8 Viktor Mekevicius
Class: Post Graduate
Commitment: Open
Evaluation: Mekevicius is another European player with strong fundamentals and a high basketball IQ. He is stronger than Gujanicic and did most of his damage on the interior with nifty footwork in the paint. He is quite crafty with his offensive moves and is excellent putting the ball on the floor and attacking the rim. He tallied 14 points for the game and is averaging 17 PPG and 11 RPG thus far for his team. Currently, he too has offers from UTEP, Rhode Island and Oakland University. Without question, Mekevicius would be a solid pick up for any mid major school. He simply knows how to play the game!

Player: 6’2 Dustin Watts
Class: Post Graduate
Commitment: UTEP
Evaluation: Watts signed with Seattle coming out of high school in 2010, but according to their high school assistant coach he will sign with UTEP during the early signing period next Wednesday. He is a strong and athletic WG that has excellent length and bounce. He has a solid midrange game and can extend the defense with his perimeter shooting.

Player: 6’4 Lawrence Domingo
Class: Post Graduate
Commitment: Open
Evaluation: Domingo is a strong and physically mature SG who usually leads his team in scoring. Early on, he is averaging 21PPG and 9 RPG while dishing out 5 assists. He scored 11 points for the night and has a slew of West Coast offers from UCSB, UTEP, and Cal State-Fullerton and is also sporting interest from Vanderbilt.

Conclusion: Oak Hill shot a dismal 5-16 from the 3 point line for 26% while hitting 29-69 overall for 42%. Fortunately, the Warriors knocked down 18-25 free throws for 72% for the game. Oak Hill won the battle of the boards corralling 40 rebounds overall and did a great job of protecting the ball by only committing 10 turnovers for the game, but the biggest difference was the pressure defense displayed at times by Oak Hill. Coach Steve Smith does an excellent job of mixing up defenses going from man to man to zone traps and at times created problems for Stoneridge. In addition, Stoneridge is a very solid opponent and it wasn’t the best overall offensive performance by the Warriors, but sometimes when shots aren’t falling you have to rely on your defense to force turnovers and create steals and that’s exactly what they did to win. Oak Hill finished with 13 steals and forced countless turnovers for the game. Oak Hill now moves to 4-0 for the season and plays again Tuesday night vs. Aim High Prep of Michigan.

Filed Under: Phenom Reports Tagged With: AJ Hammons, Dustin Watts, D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Jordan Adams, Lawrence Domingo, Marko Gujanicic, RJ Currington, Tyler Lewis, Viktor Mekevicius

The perfect season

Player Profile: A.J. Hammons

Hoop Hall Classic recap

Les Schwab Invitational: Semi-Finals

Les Schwab Invitational: Championship Game

Les Schwab Invitational Day 1

Oak Hill claims Chick-Fil-A Tournament

Oak Hill vs. Grace Prep Academy

Oak Hill vs. Stoneridge Prep (California)

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