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Date Posted: 14:19:59 02/06/03 Thu
Author: Chatter
Subject: Here's a snippet of info on Ohio's best high school ballers:

When Ohio High School Basketball is mentioned these days, the first name always comes to mind is 6'7 LeBron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH, both nationally and internationally. If you don't believe it, just ask any talented teenage basketball player abroad and he'll tell you all about James and the $50,000 Hummer that James recently received from his mother for his birthday. It's a foregone conclusion that James will be announced as the first pick in the NBA Draft in June, but there still are several milestones left for James to achieve at the high school level. Most important is to lead his team to an undefeated season, which would ensure both a mythical national championship and a third state championship in four years for St. Vincent -St. Mary. Speaking of St. Vincent-St. Mary having an undefeated season, the toughest game they will likely have the rest of season is Akron (Central Hower) OH. Why Central Hower? Because James would have gone to Central Hower, if he had attended public high school and, as a result, Central Hower's players not only grew up playing against James, but have no fear playing against him. Central Hower also has three Division I prospects in Akron-bound 6'6 Jeremiah Wood, 6'6 Dajuan Dennis; and 6'3 Jr Tony Sykes, plus they played St. Vincent-St. Mary's extremely tough twice last season. As far as individual award for James are concerned, he will win an unprecedented Mr. Basketball for the third time this spring and he will be the first player to play in at least three spring all-star games since the NCAA instituted a rule in the early 80s', whereby, a player can only participate in two post-season all-star games and remain eligible to play Division I basketball. James also is expected to be on the cover of Time Magazine and the subject of an investigative news story by 60-Minutes.
As a matter of fact, about the only thing you can't count on from James is for him to be part of next year's incoming college freshman class. However, if James had gone to college, there is little doubt that he would be joining 6'8 Ivan Harris from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA at Ohio State next year. If you will recall, when Harris was at Springfield (South) OH, prior to transferring to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA last spring, he was the #2 -ranked junior in the state behind James. Whether Harris will be named to the prestigious McDonald's All-American Team is still a question yet to be answered. But, if he does make the McDonald's Team, this presents a very interesting question that even our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson can't answer. When was the last time the Buckeye state produced three McDonald's All-Americans? Remember, a third player in the state - 5'7 Andrew Lavender from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH is ranked #10 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP. He also was the best player we saw on the second day at the NIKE All-American Camp, plus he was our Player-of-the-Summer, after leading All-Ohio Red to the championship of the NIKE Peach Jam in North Augusta, SC and a second-place finish in the 17-Under National AAU Tournament in Orlando, FL. Lavender also led Columbus (Brookhaven) OH to the Division I State Final Four two years ago, the Division I State Championship last year, and this year they are not only attempting to win back-to-back state championships, but arguably should be ranked as high as #2 in the nation in the latest national high school polls. If you will recall, Brookhaven's only loss this season came in overtime against St. Vincent-St. Mary on December 28th.
In other words, Lavender, who is one of the only great in-state players to get away from the Buckeyes in recent years, is just like James in a variety of ways, despite the fact he's a foot shooter in height. Not only are they two of the most exciting players high school players in the senior class nationally, but they both are tremendous competitors and winners in the true sense of the word, as is evident by the fact they are more concerned about leading their team to victory than individual statistics. And similar to St. Vincent-St. Mary, who more often than not intimidates the powerhouse teams they've played around the nation, Brookhaven's biggest test the rest of the way is expected to come against Worthington (Thomas Worthington) OH, which features 6'6 Joe Davis, 6'2 Kevin Anderson, 6'9 Mike Newman, and 6'5 Tommy Young, who is committed to Air Force, in the regional finals. And just like James, who is complemented by 6'6 Romeo Travis, 5'8 Dru Joyce, 6'5 Sian Cotton, 6'5 Jr Preston Sims, 6'0 Jr Corey Jones, and 6'2 Frosh Marcus Johnson, Lavender has a great supporting cast. As a matter of fact, Foust, who is ranked #74 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is good enough for the University of Oklahoma to take as part of the Lavender-package. Also taking care of business for Brookhaven inside is 6'5 Soph Jamelle Cornley, who is ranked as the #2 sophomore in the state by Johnson, while 6'0 Jr Denzel Lyles and 6'6 Jr Everett Spencer provide athleticism and scoring out on the perimeter. Not only are these arguably the two best programs in both the state and the nation, James and Lavender might be the best two players in the same class that this state as ever seen.
The senior class also has plenty of depth, as 6'5 C.J. Anderson from Cincinnati (Winton Woods) OH, who is expected to go the prep school route next year at Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, also has top 100 talent and potential, especially if he works on his perimeter game. And, of course, one of the big reasons why Mid-American Conference is one of the best mid-major conferences in college basketball is because schools in this conference annually get more than their fair share of the top players in the state. This year's Mid-American Conference crop includes 6'8 Monty St. Clair from Cincinnati (Roger Bacon) OH, 6'7 Nathan Peavy from Dayton (Chaminade-Julienne) OH, and 6'7 Eric Van Buskirk from Cincinnati (Loveland) OH to Miami-OH; 6'6 Reggie Harwell from East Cleveland (Shaw) OH and 6'11 Matt Lefeld from Coldwater (H.S.) OH to Bowling Green; 6'6 Romeo Travis from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH, 5'8 Dru Joyce from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH, 6'6 Jeremiah Wood from Akron (Central Hower) OH to Akron; 6'4 Demetrius Johnson to Kent State; 6'7 Craig Cashen from Cincinnati (St. Xavier) OH to Eastern Michigan; and 6'7 Eric Clemmons from Cincinnati (Reading) OH to Ohio University. Also getting their share of this year's bumper crop of mid-major players from Ohio are Western Kentucky, which got 6'11 Josh Higgins from Vandalia (Butler) OH; Dayton which got 6'2 Chris Spears from Centerville (H.S.) OH; Western Carolina, which got 6'1 Kyle Greathouse from Lancaster (H.S.) OH; Radford, which got 6'5 Anthony Teague from Cleveland (Shaker Heights) OH; Air Force, which got 6'5 Tommy Young from Worthington (Thomas Worthington) OH; Liberty, which got 6'3 David Dees from Dayton (Christian) OH; Wofford, which got 6'2 Curtis Ingram from Youngstown (Mooney) OH; and Morehead State, which got 6'0 Josh Reed from East Liverpool (H.S.) KY and 6'9 Kevin McDonald from Cincinnati (Harrison) OH.
As we've previously reported, the junior class is dominated with great size, as three of the top six players in the class - 6'10 Jr Matt Terwilliger from Troy (H.S.) OH, 7'0 Seth Gorney from Vandalia (Butler) OH, and 7'0 Aaron Agnew from Bellaire (H.S.) OH - are 6'9 or taller and 10 of the top 20 players in the class are 6'6 or taller. Terwillinger is a 6'9 athletic white kid who needs to get bigger and stronger and become more consistent. However, schools, like Ohio State, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, Michigan, and Michigan State love his upside and vast potential. Ohio State also is the favorite over schools like Michigan State, Kansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Indiana, and Xavier for Gorney, who is similar physically to Syracuse's Craig Forth, but plays more like former Kentucky/Villanova star Mike Bradley, although Gorney is not quite as explosive nor as athletic as Bradley. Agnew, at 6'9, 350 lbs., needs to drop at least 50 pounds, but he's got great hands and surpringly quick feet. So it comes as no surprise that schools like Xavier, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Purdue are all showing a lot of interest. The mystery man in the class is 6'7 Jr Josh Duncan from Cincinnati (Moeller) OH. The reason most people don't know much about and/or haven't seen Duncan is because he has never left the state to play AAU basketball, much less play much AAU basketball period. However, this 6'7, 210 pounder, who is very skilled and athletic, could end up being the best player in the class.
And that's saying a lot, because 6'3 Jr Jamar Butler from Lima (Shawnee) OH, who is not only ranked #34 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but also has the talent, athleticism, and potential to be one of the best guards Bobby Huggins has ever landed at the University of Cincinnati. Right now Duncan is getting the most attention from schools like Michigan State, Ohio State, Xavier, Cincinnati, Kentucky, N.C. State, and Marquette, but once the word gets out this spring and summer, Ducan's recruitment should go off the hook. Johnson's #5-ranked junior is also having a breakout year. We're talking about 6'6 Jr Brandon Ivey and this silky-smooth scorer has added upper body strength and, as a result, is now more of a force around the basket, as well as out on the perimeter. We also have to mention 6'5 Jr Justin Orr, but he's got to get bigger and stronger in order for Seton Hall head coach Louis Orr, who is Orr's uncle, to offer him a scholarship. Some other big men who have the potential to move a lot higher in the junior class are 6'9 Jr Chris Moore from Lakewood (St. Edward) OH, 7'0 Jr Drew Walker from Port Clinton (H.S.) OH, and 6'8 Jr Josh Yanke from Massillon (Jackson) OH, but the biggest sleeper in the junior class might be 6'6 Jr Everett Spencer from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH. Spencer, who is the 5th option, behind Lavender, Foust, Cornley, and Lyles, has grown from 5'9 to 6'6 in a-year-and-a-half and, possesses point guards skills.
In sharp contrast to the junior class, the sophomore class doesn't have a single player over 6'7 who is ranked among the top 20 players in the state. But it does have some strength on the perimeter, as six of the top eight players in the class play either the two or the three spot. And right at the top of the list is 6'6 Soph Ben Raymond from Toledo (St. Johns) OH, who not only has emerged as the top sophomore in the state, but is the big reason why Toledo (St. Johns) OH, which also features 6'1 Jr Brian Roberts, who is the #10-ranked junior in the state ,and 6'5 Soph Zach Hillesland, who is the #20-ranked sophomore in the state, is the team from Ohio that all the nation tournament directors, like Bobby Jacobs, Donnie Wilkie,et al., should be targeting to get into their field next December. Raymond, who is still growing, is a big-time talent and multi-dimensional athlete, as is evident by the fact that he's the second leading scorer (19.5 ppg) and third leading rebounder (8.0 rpg) in Toledo, OH this year. So it should come as no surprise that he's already being heavily recruited by schools like Ohio State, Michigan State, Michigan, Cincinnati, and Purdue. Mike Price's Cincinnati AAU team should be just as dangerous as ever, because 6'7 Soph Ross Morin and 6'2 Soph John Wolf, who are ranked #3 and #5 in the sophomore class, respectively, are both great 3-pointers. But a lack of outside shooting is the one thing holding back 6'2 Soph Travis Walton, who is our #4-ranked sophomore in the state. However, Walton is a tenacious defensive player, plus he has a tremendous build at 6'2, 190 lbs, and is extremely quick on his feet. Rounding out the top five sophomores in the state is 6'5 Soph Jamelle Cornley from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH, who continues to be a force inside, while playing much taller than his 6'5 height. However, Cornley needs to grow at least several more inches in order to be a high Division I prospect.
The only class in Ohio that gets Johnson as excited about the current senior class is the Class of 2006. As a matter of fact, Ohio's freshman class mirrors the great freshman class nationally, as 6'4 Frosh Daequan Cook from Dayton (Dunbar) OH and 6'4 Frosh Dave Lighty from Cleveland (St. Joseph) OH both have a chance to be special players. "Cook already has a tremendous feel for the game," say Johnson. "He came in with a big time reputation, but, as a 6'4 point guard, he already understands when to make his teammates better and when to use his incredible talent to just take over the game." Cook already is putting up prolific numbers and he's only going to get bigger and stronger." The only thing holding Lighty back is football. As a matter of fact, Lighty also currently is ranked as the #1 freshman football player in the state, which means that he will likely follow in the footsteps of another former St. Joseph alumnus, Melvin Levitt, although Lighty lacks Levitt's incredible athleticism. However, Lighty is much more skilled than Levitt, which means Lighty's upside is far greater. Instead, 6'2 Frosh Marcus Johnson from Akron (St. Vincent-St Mary's) OH, who has no peers in Ohio in terms of quickenss, athleticism, leaping ability, and pure national talent, may end up more like Levitt, who had a nice college career, but failed to make it at the highest level. However, if Johnson develops a develop a perimeter game and works on his ball handling skills, he could emerge as one of the top players nationally in the Class of 2006, along with Cook and Lighty. Another freshman putting up big numbers is 6'3 Frosh Dejuan Jones from Sideny (H.S.) OH, who is averaging 18 ppg while playing on the varsity. Jones needs to get bigger and stronger, but he's very quick and is an excellent time 3-point shooter. And rounding out the top five freshmen in Ohio is 6'5 Frosh Ricky Jackson from Louisville (St. Thomas Aquinas) OH. This high flying athlete can take it to the hole and rebound well for his size, plus he has excellent ball handling skills. Also worth mentioning is the fact that 6'3 Frosh Chris Poellnitz from Toledo (Scott) OH was ranked by Johnson as one of the top 8th graders in Ohio two years ago, but then moved to Minnesota and repeated the 8th grade a year ago. However, now Poellnitz is back and drawing a lot of comparisions to Cook, because we're talking about another outstanding point guard with size, playmaking ability and court savvy.
One to watch in the future, according to Mike Duncan, who is the director of the Cleveland Basketball Club, is 5'0 Carl Jones from Warrenville Heights (Brady) OH, who is one of the top 6th graders in the nation!

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