Quinn Cook
File photo by Lonnie Webb
basketball coach Steve Smith has reloaded in a big way for the 2010-11 campaign with nine transfers and he told MaxPreps that he has 11 players on his roster who should eventually play at a Division I college.
"We were 29-4 last year and around here we were kind of like in mourning," Smith said. "Most schools would have had a parade.
"We should have a lot more depth than last year. We had only about six (strong) players and no inside game. We didn’t have anybody inside who could score."
The Warriors’ No. 1 newcomer is 6-0 senior guard Quinn Cook, who starred for DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) for the last three years and as a junior was named the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Player of the Year.
"Everybody follows him around and he had no free time," Smith said. "His mom felt everybody was tugging on him. He just wants to play basketball, get his grades and go on to college (he has not yet chosen a college). It’s similar to Jerry Stackhouse (a former Oak Hill great) who wanted to get away from North Carolina.
"He’s very strong and real smart. He can really pass the ball. He had to score a lot at DeMatha, but he won’t have to score as much here."
Another talented senior newcomer is 6-5 guard Ben McLemore, whose school, Eskridge (Wellston, Mo.), closed. He has a long list of college suitors, which is supposed to be paired down by the end of summer. Smith projects Cook and McLemore as potential McDonald’s All-Americans.
Other senior newcomers include 6-8 Sidiki Johnson, St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.); and 6-9 Daniel Gomis, Community (Sun Valley, Idaho), who has committed to Oregon State. Keith Hornsby, a 6-3 guard and son of singer Bruce Hornsby, is a returning senior. He has committed to North Carolina-Asheville.
Heading the junior class is 6-10, 260-pound A.J. Hammons, who is from Carmel (Carmel, Ind.) and had been projected as Indiana’s best center since Greg Oden sparked Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.) to a record-tying three consecutive Class 4A state titles.
"He goes right to the block," Smith said of the powerful Hoosier. "He’s a center and knows it. He can really run for his size and has a nice touch."
Other talented juniors include 6-5 Jordan Adams, Central Gwinnett (Lawrenceville, Ga.); 6-4 Damien Wilson, Pebblebrook (Mableton, Ga.); 6-3 Jourdan Stickler, Annapolis Area Christian (Severn, Md.); and 6-4 Torian Graham, a sleeper from Hillside (Durham, N.C.).
Once in awhile Oak Hill will bring in a young player and groom him through its junior high. Such a player is R.J. Curington, a 6-5 sophomore guard who has been there since eighth grade. He twice scored over 40 points last year on the JV team and Smith is very high on his shooting ability.
"I like the mix of seniors with underclassmen. We’ve got all the pieces and a chance to be a great team," Smith summed up.
Mudiay is No. 1 frosh
Emmanuel Mudiay was named Top Prospect at the annual Fab Frosh Basketball Camp, which drew 103 players to the Chicago Bulls training camp in Lisle, Ill. The 6-3 guard is from Arlington, Texas and is expected to enroll at Grace Prep (Arlington, Texas).
Jahlil Okafor (6-9, 240), who will attend Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.), was named Best Big Man, while Mavin Saunders (6-6, 215) from Kinkaid (Houston, Texas) was named Top Rebounder.
"The coaches decided he was the Top Prospect when he had 20 points in one quarter against Jahlil Okafor’s team," according to Clay Dade, who is president, CEO and founder of the Junior All-American Camp with off-shoot camps for freshmen and sophomores.
"(Mudiay) came in really unheralded," Dade said. "He’s a very explosive player and very unselfish. He gets to the basket at will. He reminds me a lot of Rodney Purvis (Upper Room Christian, Raleigh, N.C.)."
In the Top 20 All-American Game, Mudiay scored 14 points and dished out eight assists as the Red team beat the Black, 107-84. High scorer was 6-2 guard James Blackmon of Bishop Luers (Fort Wayne, Ind.) with 16 points.
In the top 40 All-American Game, 6-5 Grant Bryant of Kennesaw, Ga., scored 21 points to lead the Black’s 65-60 victory over the Red.
Mark Aug. 6-8 on your calendar. Those are the dates for the Junior All-American Camp at the Suwanee (Ga.) Sports Academy when Dade says he will unveil, perhaps, basketball’s next superstar: aptly-named rising Charlotte, N.C., seventh grader Raekwon Long, who already is 6-9, 230 and has a size 20 shoe.
* Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) avenged an earlier summer defeat by beating Taft (Woodland Hills, Calif.), 55-48, to win the prestigious Fairfax Basketball Tournament. Senior Ryan Anderson (6-7) led Poly with 15 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks, while 6-5 sophomore Roschon Prince added 13 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Kevin Johnson, a 6-10, 235-pound senior, paced Taft with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
* Veteran Los Angeles Times sportswriter Eric Sondheimer calls 6-5 rising freshman Shaqquan Aaron of Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) “a Kevin Durant in the making.”
Griffey replaces Brown
The Orlando Sentinel reports that Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.) point guard Lexie Brown is transferring to Greater Atlanta Christian (Norcross, Ga.) for her sophomore year. Her father is former NBA player Dee Brown. However, Dr. Phillips is gaining an incoming freshman point guard, Taryn Griffey, daughter of retired baseball great Ken Griffey, Jr.
* Carondelet (Concord, Calif.) senior Erica Payne has chosen Stanford, according to the Oakland Tribune. The 6-2 Payne averaged 15 points and 10.9 rebounds as junior. Brittany Boyd, a point guard from Berkeley (Berkeley, Calif.), has committed to the University of California. She averaged 17.8 points and 6.7 assists as a junior.
Tennessee lands Worley
Northwestern (Rock Hill, S.C.) senior quarterback Justin Worley has made a commitment to the University of Tennessee, according to the Charlotte Observer. The 6-4, 200-pounder has passed for 8,007 yards and 92 touchdowns during his career and carries a 4.1 GPA.
* The San Antonio Express-News reports that Tivy (Kerrville, Texas) senior quarterback Johnny Manziel has made a commitment to the University of Oregon. Manziel (6-1, 190) accounted for 4,311 yards and 54 touchdowns, with just five interceptions, as a junior. He plans to graduate in December and might also play college baseball because he batted .416 with seven home runs this spring.
* Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville, Fla.) senior wide receiver Ja'Juan Story (6-3, 190) has chosen the University of Florida over Ohio State and Notre Dame, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
* The Denver Post reports that dual-threat quarterback Brock Berglund (6-4, 205) of Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) has committed to the University of Colorado. As a junior, he threw for 30 touchdowns and ran for 14 for the Class 3A state champions.
* Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul, Minn.) All-American tackle Seantrel Henderson did not show up for orientation at the University of Southern California last week, prompting head coach Lane Kiffin and three top assistants to take a private jet to the Twin Cities. Stay tuned.
North lacrosse teams win
The North girls nipped the South, 17-16, during the fifth annual Under Armour All-America Lacrosse Classic before a crowd of 2,500 at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson, Md. Attacker Jen Devito scored the winning goal on a breakaway with nine seconds left.
North Carolina-bound attacker Paige Hanson of Bryn Mawr (Baltimore, Md.) set a Classic record with four assists. South goalie Barb Black also set a record with 10 saves.
The North also won the boys game, 17-12, as MVP Mark Cockerton, a native of Canada who is headed to the University of Virginia, had four goals – three of them unassisted.
In the Underclassman game, Long Island defeated Baltimore, 13-8. Long Island’s Charlie Raffa of St. Anthony's (Melville, N.Y.) was named MVP.
Paolucci, Park win titles
Del Mar, Calif., resident Anthony Paolucci, a senior, carded six birdies in the final round to win the 33rd annual Rolex Tournament of Champions in Johnson, Ark. He finished at 1-under-par 287 to best the 132-player field from 28 states and seven foreign countries. Patrick Rodgers, a senior from Avon (Avon, Ind.), was runner-up at 289.
Buena Park, Calif., resident Kristen Park, a senior, birdied the final two holes to win the girls title with a score of 290. Second place went to Emily Tubert at 294. Tubert, a recent graduate of Burroughs (Burbank, Calif.), was fresh off a victory in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Tournament.
*Jesuit (Dallas, Texas) senior Jordan Spieth shot 4-under-par 209 to win the HP Byron Nelson Junior Championship for the third year in a row at the Lakewood Country Club.
Potpourri
* Chandler (Chandler, Ariz.) swept all field events and scored 7,721.65 points to win the girls division of the inaugural Nike Track Nationals in Eugene, Ore. Hannah Carson set the pace by winning the shot put (42-04) and discus (132-04). All seven team members will return for the 2011 campaign. Vista Murrieta (Murrieta, Calif.) captured the boys title with 7,797.18 points.
* Sports Shack (Los Angeles, Calif.) won the 18-Open Division of the USA Volleyball Junior Olympics in Reno, Nev., with a 25-22, 25-23 victory over Rancho Valley. Jazmine Orozco of Lakewood, Calif., was named MVP.
* Mike Carney has retired as girls soccer coach at Jenks (Jenks, Okla.) after compiling a 26-year record of 212-35-5 with seven state titles. While serving as an assistant coach for boys and girls teams, he helped guide six other state champions.
