By Jason Hickman
MaxPreps.com
Basketball: Mayo Will Speak Thursday
O.J. Mayo, the nation's top player in the class of 2007, is scheduled to take part in a press conference today at the Reebok ABCD Camp in Teaneck, N.J., public relations representative Jim Bukata confirmed.
Multiple sources have reported that Mayo is set to make a public commitment to the University of Southern California, a move that would end his rollercoaster recruitment - a national story since his varsity career began as an eighth-grade phenom.
Mayo, who plays for North College Hill in Cincinnati, Ohio, is not expected to announce his decision during Thursday's press conference, which is being organized by ABCD Camp personnel. Kevin Love (Lake Oswego, Ore.) and Eric Rose (Chicago, Ill.), considered to be the two best players outside of Mayo in the class of 2007, are also scheduled to participate.
As a junior, Mayo averaged 28 points per game, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.8 assists, earning first team All-American honors by MaxPreps.
Basketball: Stars Come Out at ABCD Camp
The O.J. Mayo saga isn't the only story playing out this week in Teaneck, N.J. The Reebok ABCD Camp annually draws elite level basketball talent from around the country, and this year is no exception.
In addition to the aforementioned Mayo, Kevin Love, and Eric Rose, USA Basketball Under-18 team representatives Jerryd Bayless (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Johnny Flynn (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) will also take part in the four-day event.
Mayo's North College Hill teammate Bill Walker, 2006 top sophomore Tyreke Evans (Aston, Pa.), and 2009 phenom Renardo Sidney round out the list of headliners.
The highlight of the camp every year is Sunday's All-Star games, starting with the Underclassmen All-Star Game at 3 p.m., and the Senior All-Star Game at 4:30 p.m.
The camp has a reputation for launching new stars on a yearly basis. A year ago, it was Brooklyn's (Lincoln High) Lance Stephenson who became a national name after engaging in a hotly-contested round of trash talk with Mayo during a game.
Basketball: USA Sweeps U-18 Tournaments
Both the men's and women's United States Under-18 teams captured gold medals in the FIBA Americas U-18 Championships over the weekend.
The men's squad used a 24-point, 10-rebound effort by Seattle's Spencer Hawes to crush Argentina, 104-82, in the title game. The USA won its four games in the event by an average of over 30 points per game.
"It's special for these guys to come together and put their personal goals aside for the sake of the team," USA U-18 head coach Lorenzo Romar said. "Hopefully that's a teaching tool for them to see what can happen when no one cares who gets the credit."
Oak Hill Academy senior Michael Beasley, committed to Kansas State, was the United States' leading scorer and rebounder over the course of the tournament, averaging 13.8 points and 8.3 rebounds.
On the women's side, the United States was even more dominant, winning four games by an average of over 40 points per contest, including a 65-point victory over Paraguay in the preliminary round.
"This is a great feeling. I never imagined that I would be the one to get a gold medal and have the opportunity to be around a great group of girls," Connecticut-bound post player Tina Charles said.
Like Beasley, Charles paced the United States in both scoring and rebounding, putting up 12 points per game and snaring 9.5 rebounds.
Photo: O.J. Mayo takes on Oak Hill Academy (Photo by Jim Owens).
Jason Hickman: jason@maxpreps.com
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