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The perfect season

February 29, 2012 by 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 9th 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 25th 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 16th 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 2nd, 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 5th 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

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Getting to know Dr. Dunk Damien Wilson

February 20, 2012 by 6 Comments

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Oak Hill Moves to 35-0

February 6, 2012 by Leave a Comment

There’s an old saying, “what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger” and after a brutal four day stretch the Oak Hill Warriors were able to escape the Roy Stanley Memorial Shootout with an overtime win over the Christ School by the score of 71-63. It was the 3rd game against nationally ranked teams in four days for the Warriors. Oak Hill started the week with a national showdown with Arlington Country Day in Beckley, West Virginia on Wednesday night. The Warriors were victorious with a 77-52 win.  The team then traveled to Bristol, Virginia to play undefeated West Oak Academy on Friday night. West Oak Academy featured several high major prospects and the Warriors were able to win by the score of 93-73. Unfortunately, for the Warriors they had to travel back to Mouth of Wilson since they had school on Saturday before making the trip to Salem, Virginia to play Christ School in the finale of the Roy Stanley Memorial Shootout.

There were two major story lines for the number one ranked Oak Hill Warriors. First of all, SG D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera simply put together two of the best back to back performances of the season. On Friday night, Smith-Rivera scored 29 points going 10-14 from the floor (4-4 from the 3 point line) and a perfect 5-5 from the free throw line. On Saturday night, he was sensational once again as he tallied 37 points with 11 of them coming in the overtime period. Smith-Rivera went 11-19 from the floor (2-5 from the 3 point line) and 13-15 from the free throw line. He also had 3 rebounds and had 5 steals while dishing out 3 assists.  Without question, Smith-Rivera two game performances against West Oak Academy and the Christ School were simply spectacular.

The next story line was the play of PG Tyler Lewis. Lewis scored 10 points Friday night and dished out 7 assists and on Saturday night he had 8 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 big steals down the stretch for Oak Hill. While these are modest numbers for Lewis, he battled and fought through the weekend with stomach virus. Going into Saturday’s game against Christ School, he was up the entire night throwing up and spent the majority of Saturday morning in the school infirmary and was unable to eat anything in the past 24 hours. Prior to the Saturday night game, Lewis had less than two hours of sleep and was still sick with a fever and was questionable for the game. Jordan Adams of Oak Hill finished with 14 points and collected 9 rebounds. He also had 2 steals and dished out 2 assists. Others that got into the scoring column were Damien Wilson and Darion Clark with 4 points each while Montarius Hall and AJ Hammons tallied 2 points. Hammons was also nursing an ankle injury and was not 100% and did not have the same mobility on both ends of the court.

For Christ School, the story line was the play of 6’6 junior PF Will Weeks and 6’5 sophomore WF Josh Level. Weeks finished with 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds while Level finished with 14 points but knocked down key three pointers during the last minutes of the game when the Greenies of Christ School trailed Oak Hill 57-45. In addition, Jerome Hairston also enjoyed a solid game with 12 points while Alabama commit Shannon Hale finished with 8 points. Weeks is a strong, active and aggressive power forward and his inside play was key for Christ School throughout the game. His play was impressive and should see his stock continue to climb. More importantly, he plays the game with passion and purpose and his work ethic on the court was impressive. Sophomore Josh Level continues to make monumental strides in his game. Level has been known as an elite level athlete with his explosive leaping ability, but he has worked extremely hard on his perimeter game and his three pointers were big time in the rally for Christ School. If he continues to improve in the next two years as he as in the past year, high major schools will be knocking on his door. Jerome Hairston is a strong and aggressive guard that is a major steal for Towson State.

In overtime, it was the Smith-Rivera show as he used his size and strength to score all 11 points for Oak Hill and the Greenies had no answer for him.  He used a vast arsenal of offensive moves either to score or get fouled and he was almost automatic from the free throw line.

In the game Friday night against West Oak Academy, there were several players that deserve mentioning for the team from Florida. 6’6 sophomore Boubacar Moungoro is one of the elite level athletes in the 2014 class. He finished with 15 points against Oak Hill but he has a nice blend of elite level athleticism combined with a nice skill set that will make him a high priority of high major schools. He is extremely long and explosive and is absolutely fantastic in transition. 6’9 junior Demba Konate finished with 15 points and already has an offer from Florida according to Coach Tony Atkins. Konate is a strong and active rebounder and is relentless on the boards. He is quick off his feet and will be a player to watch in the 2013 class nationally. 6’2 senior SG Sheldon Hagigal (Cincinnati) chipped in 17 points while 6’5 Kedar Edwards (South Carolina signee) chipped in 15 points.

Oak Hill is now 35-0 for the season and will resume action this week as they play Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

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Oak Hill now 33-0 after win over ACD

February 3, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Oak Hill traveled to Beckley, WV to battle nationally ranked Arlington Country Day and came away with an impressive 77-52 victory to push their record to 33-0.

After an exciting first half where both teams shot “lights out” from the perimeter, it was the defense in the second half that was the difference maker. Coach Steve Smith changed defenses multiple times with full court and half court pressure that eventually created turnovers and wore down the opposing team. Oak Hill led 42-37 at halftime, but went on to outscore ACD by the score of 35-15 in the second half.

Leading the way for Oak Hill was SG D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera with 24 points going an impressive 8-12 from the floor (6-10 from the 3 point line) and 2-2 from the free throw line. Smith-Rivera also collected 4 rebounds and dished out 6 assist for a great all around game. Jordan Adams scored 23 points going 8-16 from the floor (3-8 from the 3 point line) and 4-4 from the free throw line. Adams also had 3 rebounds, 3 steals and dished out 6 assists for the game. PG Tyler Lewis was efficient and effective as he scored 8 points going 3-5 from the floor (2-3 from the 3 point line). Lewis also dished out 9 assists and had 4 steals for the game as he controlled the tempo while only committing one turnover late in the game. Montarius Hall enjoyed a solid game for Oak Hill as he collected 5 rebounds and scored 4 points. Darion Clark chipped in 8 points while Damien Wilson scored 6 points.

Leading the way for Arlington Country Day was Jordan Goodman with 18 points going 7-11 from the floor (4-7 from the 3 point line). Ian Baker scored 13 points going 5-8 from the floor (3-4 from the 3 point line) while Carlos Morris finished with 10 points going 3-13 from the floor (1-4 from the 3 point line) and 3-3 from the free throw line.

For the game, Oak Hill shot 58% going 29-50 from the floor while connecting on 11-25 from the 3 point line for 46%. Arlington Country Day shot 45% going 19-42 from the floor and 8-15 from the 3 point line for an impressive 53%. Oak Hill shot a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line while ACD shot 6-9 for 67%. The big storyline in the game for Oak Hill was the defensive pressure in the second half and the ability to control the tempo on both ends of the court. Oak Hill had 22 team assists for the game while only committing 6 turnovers. On the other hand, Oak Hill pressure defense led to 11 steals that created transition points for the Warriors.

Oak Hill has a brutal weekend schedule as they travel to Bristol, Tennessee to play undefeated West Oak Academy of Florida tonight and then travel to Salem, Virginia Saturday night to play Christ School or Arden, NC.

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Annual Hoops Classic Oak Hill vs. Blue Ridge Prep

January 29, 2012 by Leave a Comment

After a lackluster performance by the Oak Hill Warriors in the Inaugural Penny Hardaway Hoop Fest last weekend, Coach Steve Smith had a week back in the gym making adjustments and fine tuning things prior the Friday night contest with Blue Ridge Prep. Blue Ridge Prep entered the contest with a solid 10-4 record with nice wins over the Miller School, IMG Academy and Fork Union Military Academy with tough losses to New Hampton Prep, Massanutten Military Academy, Calvert Hall of Baltimore, Maryland, and Virginia Episcopal.

The week of preparation was exactly what the doctor ordered for the road weary Warriors. After some big time wins over nationally ranked teams, Oak Hill ventured into Memphis for the Penny Hardaway Tournament and played well enough to win, but played without the same passion and effort displayed earlier in the season and especially against Prestonwood at the Hoop hall Classic in Springfield, Massachusetts. Oak Hill won easily and impressively by the score of 91-64 and their lead stretched to 30 points on several occasions. Entering the game, Blue Ridge was led by 6’5 junior Ahmad Fields. Fields was averaging 17 PPG and the long and athletic WG has gotten interest from mid to high major schools. 6’3 junior SG Jarod Williams came into the contest with a 14 PPG scoring average. In addition, 6’7 sophomore PF Corbyn Jackson is an absolute physical specimen and he and 6’9 junior center Sando Feng provide a solid front court that possessed excellent size and athleticism.

That being said, Coach Smith had his #1 ranked Warriors ready from the opening tip and never looked back. They looked sharp on both ends of the court and exhibited the overall defensive intensity that has been missing in the pass several games. 6’5 senior SG Jordan Adams led the way for Oak Hill with a game high 20 points. Adams went 8-15 from the floor (2-6 from the 3 point line) and 2-2 from the free throw line. Adams also collected 3 rebounds while having 2 steals. 6’3 senior SG D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera also enjoyed a solid outing as he tallied 15 points going 6-12 from the floor (3-5 from the 3 point line) and went 1-1 from the free throw line. Smith-Rivera also grabbed 3 rebounds and dished out 6 assists. 5’11 senior PG Tyler Lewis enjoyed another double-double as he tallied 15 points and dished out a team high 10 assists. Lewis went an efficient 6-10 from the floor (2-4 from the 3 point line) and 1-1 from the free throw line. More importantly, Lewis had 6 steals for the game as he anticipated well on the defensive end of the floor. AJ “Microwave” Curington came off the bench and provided instant offense once again with 16 points. Curington went 3-5 from the floor (2-4 from the 3 point line) but went 8-9 from the free throw line. 6’7 senior PF Montarius Hall stepped into the starting lineup for 7’0 AJ Hammons and played exceptional. Hall finished with 11 points going 5-8 from the floor and 1-3 from the free throw line. He led the team in rebounding with 7 but also dished out 4 assists for a complete all around performance. Others that got into the scoring act was Darion Clark with 6, Ike Iroegbu with 4 including a drive down the middle of the lane for a thunderous dunk that sent the crowd into a frenzy. Victor Ieronymides chipped in 2 points while Damien Wilson added 1 point for the commanding margin of victory.

Oak Hill shot an impressive 34-61 from the floor for 55% while connecting on 9-21 3 pointers for 43%. In addition, Oak Hill connected on 14-18 free throws for 78%, but the biggest single factor for Oak Hill was the total unselfish play by the entire team. Oak Hill scored on 27 assists while only committing 12 turnovers for the game. Oak Hill now moves to 31-0 and will play Imani Prep of Pennsylvania Saturday night.

  • Team statistics are furnished by the Oak Hill coaching staff
  • The class of 2012 Top 150 will be released on Monday, January 31st

 

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Les Schwab Invitational: Semi-Finals

December 30, 2011 by 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.

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Les Schwab Invitational: Championship Game

December 30, 2011 by 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 10th, 2012.

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Oak Hill claims Chick-Fil-A Tournament

December 23, 2011 by 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 27-30th.

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 10th 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.

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