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| Reggie McAdams (6'5/2012) of Elida (Photo by OHSH). |
Ohio High School Hoops stopped by Dunbar High School to take in some of the festitivies. To our knowledge, there was no real winner crowned, but rather a round-robin type format. 24 teams, eight at each site, participated in the high-level shootout. Four teams were in each pool played a round-robin followed by a crossover game with a team from another pool at a particular site.
The two pools we were able to watch consisted of Dunbar, Columbus Mifflin, Berlin Hiland, and Kettering Fairmont in one and Thurgood Marshall, Elida, Chillicothe, and Winton Woods in the other.
Dayton Dunbar- the Wolverines were very good most of the day despite injuries. Andre Yates and Jaquan Sims both went down with injuries during a game with Berlin Hiland. Damarion Geter is currently out with an injury as well. Despite the injures, the Wolverines looked like a team primed to make a return to Columbus.
Freshman-to-be point guard Amos "AJ" Harris showed why he is one of the top young guards in the state. The lefty, who sports the googles, knows how to run a team. His IQ for the game is very high. He recognizes where the ball needs to go and where each teammate likes to receive it. Harris appears able to get in the lane whenever he wants to set himself up for a tear-drop floater or to set a teammate up. Harris still needs plenty of work on his perimeter game, but it's very obvious he is a pure point.
Gary Akbar was very consistent throughout the day. Akbar attacked when the situation called for it and was able to get to his left hand on most opportunities. He is an undersized four man, but there is no questioning the fact that he can play bigger than his size. Akbar has good body size and strength.
Deontae "Teddy" Hawkins arrived late, but he was effective once he woke up. Hawkins knocked down some perimeter shots and kept a lot of offensive possessions alive with his length by tipping balls back out and getting putbacks.
Tayvonne Hunt (6'0/Sr.) is going to be a solid role guard for the Wolverines. Hunt is strong, plays solid defense, and can knock down shots.
Chris McGuire (transfer from Dayton CJ), William Green (6'1/So.), Leeshawns Dorsey (6'6/So.), and LaQuan Archie were other solid contributers.
**Dayton Thurgood Marshall played at a high level as well despite Joe Ballard and Mark Alstork being absent. Ballard arrived later in the day due to the ACT.
Joe Thomasson, Edmond Early, and Gerry Green were back leading the way for the defending state runners-up.
Senior Kris Moss was solid off the bench. The lefty can be a knock down shooter and he gives great effort on defense.
Sophomores-to-be JaMichael Blanton, Davion Ashe, and RaChaun Martin (transfer from Dayton Christian) are very promising.
We didn't get to see a Dunbar/Thurgood Marshall match up, but a chance for three meetings this year are a strong possibility. We can't wait!
**Hiland picked up right were it left off in mid-March. The Hawks looked terrific led by seniors Dylan Kaufman, Seger Bonifant, Neil Gingerich, and Jason Miller.
Hiland has terrific spacing on offense allowing for ample opportunities for drive-and-kick situations. Kaufman and Bonifant along with other guards were knocking down shots.
Gingerich continues to get better-and-better. The 6-foot-6 true post was able to score over his left shoulder with a text book baby hook. He even showed ability to knock down the three. Gingerich is developing into a solid college prospect.
**Chillicothe didn't do a lot of winning, but senior Malik London and junior Zach Johnson showed well. London proved why he is the most feared shot blocker in Ohio. The lengthy 6-foot-8 senior put on a shot blocking clinic for much of the day including a double digit effort against Thurgood Marshall. He was also aggressive attacking the cylinder. London showed some nice footwork on the baseline allowing him to score at the rim. He struggled from 10-12 feet, but the stroke looks good.
Johnson (6'2) proved he has the ability to be a 20-point per game scorer when he is motivated. He can knock down triples, but often settles. He is very effective when taking the ball to the basket, but it seemed he had to be challenged to do so.
**Elida had plenty of good moments yesterday led by senior-to-be Reggie McAdams. He shoots a true jumper from deep and has the ability to make it was consistency. He is a sneaky athlete with a bundle of talent. McAdams really hasn't got the attention he deserves over the course of his high school career. He is also a D1 football prospect.
We also like 6-foot-3 sophomore-to-be Dakota Mathias, who is very similar to McAdams but a little shorter and a little less athletic. Mathias is a sleeper.
It was interesting to see Deiondray Martin (6'3/Jr.) in an Elida uniform. Martin played at Lima Senior last year. He is a good athlete who plays hard. Martin does a nice job of scoring around the rim and has the ability to throw down in traffic. He will be a huge boost to the Elida line up.
Elida should have a real nice season and may be the favorite in NW Ohio (D2).
**Cincinnati Winton Woods was up-and-down. They were very hard to figure out. Woodward transfer Trent Donald was solid. He isn't a jaw-dropping athlete, but he knows how to get buckets by being crafty and using his strength. Donald has an old man's game.
We liked what we saw out of sophomore-to-be point guard Ronnie Rousseau. He is small, but he is pretty good with the ball. Rousseau was able to get into the lane and score/distribute. He did have some trouble in transition with trying to do too much, but he is young.
Zach McCorkle (6'5/Sr.) was strong on the interior. He plays hard and can score in the paint.
Game of the Day: This was an easy one. Dayton Dunbar and Berlin Hiland put on a show. Dunbar was suffering through injuries and Hiland was playing the back end of back-to-back games, but the game cleary didn't show it.
Each time Dunbar grabbed a comfortable lead, Hiland stormed back. AJ Harris ended the struggle in a sudden death third overtime with a lefty floater to give Dunbar a 65-63 win.
Here is a recap from Taft's elite shootout on Friday evening:
http://www.cincyprephoopsreport.blogspot.com/
