Outside of LeBron James, current Memphis Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo is arguably the most celebrated and scrutinized high school basketball player of the last decade.
Mayo’s prep exploits while at North College Hill (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Huntington (W.Va.) were national stories. Every move he made – on and off the court – generated headlines. That makes the case of younger brother Todd Mayo all the more amazing.
After playing at South Point High School in Ohio as a sophomore – where he averaged 22.6 points per game – Todd Mayo all but disappeared last year while making the move to the Memphis area to be close to big brother. But thanks to a coming-out party against a nationally-ranked foe Saturday night, the secret is out – this Mayo can play, too.
“It has struck me as completely incredible,” Germantown (Tenn.) head coach Newton Mealer said of Mayo’s under-the-radar status. “When he showed up here and we sat down to talk, he didn’t know if anybody (college programs) was even looking at him.”
Saturday night at the Penny Hardaway Classic in Memphis against defending Georgia AAAAA champion Wheeler – ranked No. 14 nationally by MaxPreps in the preseason – Mayo erupted for 37 points, nine rebounds and six assists as the Red Devils smashed the out-of-state foe 94-68.
“We came out and really hit them in the mouth,” Mealer said. “Before they knew what was going on it was Todd Mayo 9, Wheeler 2, and they were stumbling.”
Now Mayo is on the radar for programs like Houston, Marshall, Missouri and West Virginia.
“He is on everybody’s radar and could be the steal of the late signing period,” Mealer said. “He is a major college basketball prospect. He has outstanding work ethic, mental toughness and the family genes to be great.”
Despite those Mayo family genes, Todd is working hard to carve out his own basketball legacy.
“He has worked so hard not to be in O.J.’s shadow,” Mealer said. “Everywhere we go, the students chant ‘You’re not O.J.’ That fuels his fire.”
Mayo followed the Wheeler games with 28 points Tuesday night against Bartlett to help Germantown improve to 7-1. The only blemish came against national No. 12 Memphis White Station.
The program’s NBA connection doesn’t end with Mayo. Senior guard Austin Hollins, a Minnesota signee, is the son of Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins.
The Red Devils continue the season with Memphis Southwind on Friday. Southwind lost by one point to White Station at the Hardaway Classic.
Newton Mealer's Germantown Red Devils. Todd Mayo second player from right (No. 3).
HOT STARTS
Several notable players are off to big starts in the scoring column;
- Ryan Harrow of Walton (Marietta, Ga.), a North Carolina State signee, is averaging 39.0 points per game through four contests, including a 47-point outburst Nov. 21 against Fairburn Creekside and 45 points two weeks later against Norcross Meadowcreek.
- Junior wing P.J. Hairston of Dudley (Greensboro, N.C.), a North Carolina commitment, is posting 38.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Friday night against Southern Durham, the 6-6, 220-pounder went for 53 points in a 112-64 win.
- Arizona State signee Corey Hawkins of Estrella Foothills (Goodyear, Ariz.) already has a 40-point performance under his belt three games into the season and is averaging 34.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 5.7 steals per outing.
- Staying in Arizona, Phoenix Mountain Pointe transfer Jahii Carson is fitting in well at Mesa. Carson is averaging 28.0 points and 5.0 assists per game for the 4-0 Jackrabbits. The 5-10 junior guard is committed to Oregon State.
COAST-TO-COAST
Seattle Prep (Seattle, Wash.) may have a special freshman on its hands in D.J. Fenner. The 6-5 guard debuted with a 21-point performance in a victory over Stanwood, then followed with 18 against O’Dea and 24 against Monroe as the Panthers moved to 3-0. Fenner, the son of former NFL fullback Derrick Fenner, is a Washington, D.C. transplant who was expected to attend Washington Catholic Athletic League powerhouse Gonzaga this fall…Junior forward LeBryan Nash of Lincoln (Dallas, Texas) is living up to the considerable hype he entered the high school scene with. Nash scored 29 points to lead Lincoln to a 65-54 win over sophomore phenom J-Mychal Reese and Bryan in the finals of the McDonald’s Fall Classic in El Paso over the weekend. The 6-7, 215-pound forward earned tournament MVP honors and is averaging 19.0 points per game on the season for the 10-0 Tigers...Another super sophomore, D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera of North Central (Indianapolis, Ind.), returned from offseason surgery to score 15 points in the Panthers’ 87-58 blowout of Lawrence Central. “It’s nice to be healthy,” Smith-Rivera told Nat Newell of the Indianapolis Star. Watch out for North Central, a top 50 team preseason team nationally. Playing without Smith-Rivera Nov. 25 against highly-regarded junior point guard Marquis Teague and Pike, the Panthers cruised to a 94-79 win…No. 25 Rice (New York, N.Y.) hasn’t played yet but the Raider roster definitely passes the eye test with 6-9 junior Josh Gomez, 6-8 senior Kadeem Jack, 6-7 senior Shane Shouthwell, 6-6 junior Richard Council and 6-5 junior Jermaine Sanders.
