In today’s issue, we have a recap of the Stoneridge Prep (California) vs. Oak Hill Warriors game that was played on Saturday night at Oak Hill gymnasium. Stoneridge Prep came into the contest with a 2-1 record with impressive wins over LaHoya Prep and Impact Academy with a tough loss to a very talented Westwind Prep of Arizona. Oak Hill came into the contest with a 3-0 regular season record plus winning its pre-season scrimmage games vs. Fork Union, Massanuttan and Hargrave Military. On paper, the Stoneridge game appeared to be a formable opponent for the Warriors. The Warriors pulled out an 80-64 victory over a well coached and highly skilled team that played hard and executed their game plan nicely.
Oak Hill led Stonebridge 17-10 at the end of the 1st quarter as the Warriors once again were stone cold from the perimeter. Stoneridge pulled within 3 early in the 2nd quarter (17-14) and then the Warriors got rolling and went on a 22-5 run and led 39-19 at halftime. While Stoneridge ran a run in the 3rd quarter, Oak Hill’s poise and half court precision execution was too much for the California base team. Below is a summary of individual performances for both teams. It should be noted that Stoneridge has some very talented prospects. First up is Oak Hill.
Player: 5’11 Tyler Lewis
Class: 2012
Commitment: NC State
Evaluation: Overall, this may have been one of Tyler’s all around games in an Oak Hill uniform. Tyler scored 20 points, dished out 6 assists, had 4 rebounds and 4 steals, but the most important statistic is Tyler had 0 turnovers and now has a 5:1 assist to turnover ratio for the season. Coming into the contest, many people knew Tyler was excellent in the open court and in transition, but he has been masterful in the half court set getting his teammates involved and running the team. In addition, he played solid defense and enjoyed a stellar performance. Playing in front of Bob Gibbons, he stated afterwards that Tyler is a legit top 40 player nationally in the 2012 class while well known Brick Oettinger of the ACC Sports Journal and Prep Stars has him currently ranked 32. His play early on justifies those rankings.
Player: 6’5 Jordan Adams
Class: 2012
Commitment: UCLA
Evaluation: For the second consecutive night, one of the country’s top shooting guards struggled to find his range and didn’t even hit a 3 pointer for the game, but still finished with 20 points for the game. The great thing about Jordan’s game is if his shot isn’t falling he finds ways to make things happen. Jordan attacked the rim and drew contact and fouls and made 8-8 free throws in the contest. In addition, Jordan had 8 rebounds and dished out 3 assists. While Jordan is nationally known as a shooter, he is the complete all around player and is a consensus top 30 player nationally in our opinion and should get consideration for the McDonald’s All American team. Simply put, there are not many SG that has the complete and total package as Jordan and he has all the fundamentals, basketball IQ and overall understanding of the game that separates him from his peers.
Player: 7’0 AJ Hammons
Class: 2012
Commitment: Purdue
Evaluation: As we correctly stated in our earlier Phenom Hoop Reports, Hammons is a “sleeping giant” and the young man from Indiana is proving his weight in gold. Remember, we are talking about a legit 7’0 with a massive frame that has an NBA body and frame. AJ scored 7 points, but corralled 10 rebounds and blocked 4 shots. AJ is definitely going to make a lot of people angry for not recruiting him harder in the pre-season. So far, the “sleeping giant” has awakened and may be the unsung player for this year’s team. He doesn’t have to score a lot of points to be effective and he is consistently grading out as one of Oak Hill’s top player. AJ has been motivated and inspired with his play early on and has shown a consistent work ethic on the court and has been displaying a great attitude.
Player: 6’3 D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera
Class: 2012
Commitment: Georgetown
Evaluation: It was another dreadful night from the perimeter from the reliable and accurate shooting guard from Indianapolis. He struggled early on, but adjusted his game in the second half to attacking the basket using this strong and muscular body to finish at the rim or draw fouls. D’Vauntes hit 5-6 free throws and finished with 17 points while adding 6 rebounds and dishing out 2 assists. That being said, D’Vauntes shooting mechanics and fundamentals are simply too good and it won’t be long before those perimeter shots are falling much for accurately and frequently. As we have stated previously, he just needs to allow the game come to him. He is too talented with a tremendous offensive arsenal.
Player: 6’5 RJ Currington
Class: 2013
Commitment: Open
Evaluation: My new nickname for RJ is “microwave” since he is fast becoming the first guy off the bench and brings instant offense. Again, he was pivotal coming in the 2nd quarter by providing a spark that helped Oak Hill get on a roll and takes a commanding 20 point lead into halftime, but more importantly RJ brings instant energy and always seems to make something positive happen. Then again, maybe his nickname should be “sparkplug,” either way the talented junior WG is a high major talent and is simply gaining confidence in each and every game.
In addition, 6’6 PF Darion Clark added 4 points and 4 rebounds while 6’5 Memphis signee Damien Wilson had 2 points and 4 rebounds. Next up is the breakdown for Stoneridge and be sure to check these guys out.
Player: 6’9 Marko Gujanicic
Class: Post Graduate
Commitment: Open
Evaluation: Gujanicic is your genetic highly skilled European player. At 6’9, he can play on the perimeter or in the low post area. This past summer, Gujanicic played on the Serbian 19U National team and averaged 10 PPG and 6 RPG. He is highly skilled, fundamentally sound and is deadly from the 3 point line. He has the ability to put the ball on the floor and is excellent ball handler and passer for his size and position. Gujanicic enjoyed a solid night for his team by having a team high 18 points. He is very versatile and fluid and without question is a lock for mid major plus program and could easily step into a high major program that is in need of a talented face up PF. Currently, he has offered from UTEP and Rhode Island, but this list should continue to grow once more schools find out about the talented Gujanicic. In speaking with his high school coach, Gujanicic is averaging 17 PPG, 11 RPG and 4 APG for Stoneridge in their first 4 games. Pretty impressive numbers for a pretty impressive player!
Player: 6’8 Viktor Mekevicius
Class: Post Graduate
Commitment: Open
Evaluation: Mekevicius is another European player with strong fundamentals and a high basketball IQ. He is stronger than Gujanicic and did most of his damage on the interior with nifty footwork in the paint. He is quite crafty with his offensive moves and is excellent putting the ball on the floor and attacking the rim. He tallied 14 points for the game and is averaging 17 PPG and 11 RPG thus far for his team. Currently, he too has offers from UTEP, Rhode Island and Oakland University. Without question, Mekevicius would be a solid pick up for any mid major school. He simply knows how to play the game!
Player: 6’2 Dustin Watts
Class: Post Graduate
Commitment: UTEP
Evaluation: Watts signed with Seattle coming out of high school in 2010, but according to their high school assistant coach he will sign with UTEP during the early signing period next Wednesday. He is a strong and athletic WG that has excellent length and bounce. He has a solid midrange game and can extend the defense with his perimeter shooting.
Player: 6’4 Lawrence Domingo
Class: Post Graduate
Commitment: Open
Evaluation: Domingo is a strong and physically mature SG who usually leads his team in scoring. Early on, he is averaging 21PPG and 9 RPG while dishing out 5 assists. He scored 11 points for the night and has a slew of West Coast offers from UCSB, UTEP, and Cal State-Fullerton and is also sporting interest from Vanderbilt.
Conclusion: Oak Hill shot a dismal 5-16 from the 3 point line for 26% while hitting 29-69 overall for 42%. Fortunately, the Warriors knocked down 18-25 free throws for 72% for the game. Oak Hill won the battle of the boards corralling 40 rebounds overall and did a great job of protecting the ball by only committing 10 turnovers for the game, but the biggest difference was the pressure defense displayed at times by Oak Hill. Coach Steve Smith does an excellent job of mixing up defenses going from man to man to zone traps and at times created problems for Stoneridge. In addition, Stoneridge is a very solid opponent and it wasn’t the best overall offensive performance by the Warriors, but sometimes when shots aren’t falling you have to rely on your defense to force turnovers and create steals and that’s exactly what they did to win. Oak Hill finished with 13 steals and forced countless turnovers for the game. Oak Hill now moves to 4-0 for the season and plays again Tuesday night vs. Aim High Prep of Michigan.