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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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Current Oak Hill team is winningest in school history

February 21, 2012 by 5 Comments

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

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

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

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

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

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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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Hoop Hall Classic recap

January 17, 2012 by 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 8th grader Khalea Turner who finished with 7 points. This young man has a soft touch around the basket and has huge and soft hands which are a complete luxury for big men.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Player: 5’11 Diante Baldwin
Hometown: Greensboro, NC
School: High Point Christian
Grade: 11 (Class: 2013)
Evaluation: IQ Baldwin recently “reclassed” to the 2013 class with his transfer to High Point Christian and he is another name MM schools will want to monitor. Baldwin has “sneaky” athleticism and has exceptional ball handling and passing skills. He sees the floor really well. Baldwin does have good strength and athleticism and even had a few nice dunks in transition. Overall, Baldwin is a very active PG that has good fundamentals and basketball.

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

Player: 6’7 Jackson Kent
Hometown: Greensboro, NC
School: High Point Christian
Grade: 11 (Class 2013)
Evaluation: Kent recently transferred to High Point Christian and reclassed to the 2013 class. Kent is another regular at the NC Phenom 150 camp and I’m totally impressed with his improvement over the past year. Basically known as a “dead eye” from the 3 point territory, he has worked hard on his ball handling and passing skills and has really raised his level of play. He even played PG at times at camp. Kent is excellent in transitions and with improved strength and quickness, he is more comfortable attacking the basket and finishing well. He has always been a fundamentally sound player with a high basketball IQ and is a legit D1 prospect.

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

Player: 6’11 Chuck Ogbodo
Hometown: High Point, NC
School: High Point Christian
Grade: 11 (Class: 2013)
Evaluation: Ogbodo is a very long and athletic center that is starting to garnish interest from ACC schools. He is a quick leaper and is excellent in transition. He has a tremendous wing span and is definitely a defensive presence in the paint. He alters and blocks a lot of shots due to this length and timing. Like many athletic big men, he is more advanced on the defensive end of the floor, but is making huge strides in his overall offensive development. If he continues to improve his overall game in the next year as he has in the past year, he will definitely be a major target of HM schools. When you are 6’11 young, energetic, athletic and have the length, quickness and bounce, high majors will quickly take notice. The next step for his development is play hard consistently on both ends of the court.

 

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

Final thoughts from the 2012 Spalding Hoop Hall Classic

All Tourney Players: 

National: Shabazz Muhammad, Bishop Gorman

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

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

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

August 2011 Report

Player: 6’11 Nerlens Noel
High School: Tilton School
Hometown: Tilton, MA
Class: 2013
Committed: Undecided

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

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

 

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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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Les Schwab Invitational: Quarterfinals

December 28, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Coming into the 16th Annual Les Schwab Invitational, two of the favorite teams were Riverside Academy (Louisiana) and Yates High School (Texas). That being said, the local Oregon teams weren’t buying the hype and with overwhelming home town support, both squads pull out the eventual upset.

In the first quarterfinal game of the day, Central Catholic stunned highly touted and nationally ranked Riverside Academy by the score of 82-65. More importantly, the game was never in doubt as Central Catholic jumped out to an impressive 27-8 first quarter lead. Riverside did manage to make the game more interesting in the second quarter, but still trailed 39-30 at halftime. The hero of the day for Central Catholic was 6’3 Senior SG Danny Brakebush as he literally took it to the more athletic Riverside Academy team. Brakebush finished with a game high 34 points. He went 11-22 from the floor (2-6 from the 3 point line) and 10-13 from the free throw line. While he knocked down a couple of threes, Brakebush was highly effective in slashing to the basket and finishing extremely well. In addition, he grabbed a team high 9 rebounds and simply put his team on his shoulders. 6’6 Senior PF Reid Callan also enjoyed a banner day as he finished with 19 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. He went 8-9 from the floor and 3-3 from the free throw line. For Riverside, one of the nation’s top unsigned prospect tallied 22 points and grabbing 17 rebounds. He went 6-15 from the floor (0-2 from the 3 point line) and went 10-16 from the free throw line. Gathers is simply a man upon boys with his physical strength and mobility and his stat line proved why he is so coveted by many of the nation’s top programs. 6’7 Senior SG Donald Thomas Jr. tallied 14 points going 4-13 from the floor (2-5 from the 3 point line) and went a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line.

The storyline was rather simple for the upset win. Central Catholic was the more aggressive team and played with a tremendous purpose and passion and forced 24 Riverside turnovers. On the other hand, Central Catholic was also very loose with the ball as they committed 18 turnovers of their own. Both teams shot an unbelievable amount of free throws as Central Catholic went 20-27 from the free throw line compared to 19-26 for Riverside. While Central Catholic shot over 50% from the floor, Riverside was only able to connect on 39% for the game. On paper, Central Catholic looked overmatched from an athletic POV, but the aggressive play of Central proved too much for the team from Louisiana.

The second quarterfinal game of the day featured two teams with similar style and Jesuit was able to pull out a two point win over Lake Oswego by the score of 52-50. Both teams were well coached and were fundamentally sound and the game had its share of ebbs and flow throughout. Leading the way for Jesuit was 5’10 senior PG Xavier Coleman. Coleman finished with 22 points going 8-13 from the floor (2-5 from the 3 point line) but only managed 4-9 from the free throw line. Coleman’s backcourt mate 5’10 senior guard Khyan Rayner chipped in 18 points going 6-11 from the floor (1-6 from the 3 point line) and a perfect 5-5 from the free throw line. 6’6 Junior PF Calvin Hermanson led the way for Lake Oswego with 20 points going 8-18 from the floor (1-6 from the 3 point line) and 3-4 from the free throw line. Hermanson also grabbed a team high 12 rebounds. 5’11 Senior PG Jason Luhnow also enjoyed a solid game as he went 4-11 from the field (4-10 from the 3 point line) and 1-2 from the free throw line. Like the first game of the quarterfinals, the telling storyline was the 21 turnovers committed by Lake Oswego. Jesuit will advance to the semi-finals and will face Central Catholic.

In the third game of the day, it was the Oak Hill Warriors facing off against a fired up Lincoln team. The pro-Oregon crowd got behind Lincoln and they too were looking to pull off another upset over nationally ranked Oak Hill. Oak Hill went into the locker room at halftime with only a 33-27 lead, but Coach Steve Smith made some major adjustments and the Warriors outscored Lincoln 25-11 in the 3rd quarter. Oak Hill went on to capture its 22nd victory of the season with an impressive 74-46 victory. Without question, it was the Jordan Adams and Tyler Lewis show for the majority of the game. Jordan Adams finished with a game high 26 points and led the team in rebounding with 12 rebounds. Adams went 11-17 from the field (2-4 from the 3 point line) and 2-4 from the free throw line. Senior PG Tyler Lewis enjoyed another outstanding performance as he finished with 22 points and dished out 6 assists without having a single turnover. He went 10-14 from the floor (did not attempt any 3 pointers) and went 2-2 from the free throw line. Lewis also collected 3 rebounds and had 2 steals for the game. Oak Hill’s leading scorer D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera just couldn’t buy a basket and simply just had a “bad day at the office.” The self-confidence Smith-Rivera struggled offensively and only went 1-12 from the floor (0-6 from the 3 point line) for a season low 2 points. Smith-Rivera did manage 3 rebounds and dished out 3 assists. Oak Hill only committed 8 turnovers for the game and shot 55% from the floor while only connecting on 4-15 from the 3 point line. In addition, the Warriors only went to the free throw line 8 times, but connected on 6 of them. Oak Hill will advance to the semi-finals Thursday night.

In another stunner, it was Landen Lucas (Kansas) and his Westview HS team in an upset of nationally known Yates. Westview won 68-59 despite committing 26 turnovers for the game. Landen Lucas led his team with 20 points and 11 rebounds. He went 7-8 from the floor with the majority of them coming off dunks and went 6-9 from the free throw line. He also blocked 7 shots, but the biggest asset was his ability to be an outlet from the constant trapping defense by Yates. Lucas has excellent court vision for his size/position and is a solid passer. Other players that contributed to the scoring for Westview were Keon Burns with 15 and Bonhan Stafford with 10 points. For Yates, Clyde Santee was the leading scorer with 21 points. He went 8-23 from the floor (2-11 from the 3 point line) and 3-4 from the free throw line. No other player scored in double figures for Yates.

Both teams shot the ball rather poorly for the night as Westview went 24-62 for the game for 39% while Yates went 21-67 from the floor for 31%. Needless to say, the 3 point shooting for both teams were dismal as well. Yates went 4-25 for 16% while Westview went 6-23 for 26%. On the plus side, both teams went to the free throw line often as Yates knocked in 13-18 for 72% and Westview knocked in 14-19 for 74%. Westview will advance to the semi-finals and face Oak Hill Academy.

Thursday night semi-finals

Catholic Central vs. Jesuit

Oak Hill Academy vs. Westview

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Les Schwab Invitational Day 1

December 28, 2011 by 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 4th 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.

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