Oak Hill basketball 2014

By James Blackburn

National powerhouse Oak Hill Academy visited New Hope Christian on Tuesday night. There was a good crowd on hand to take in the action, including multiple college coaches. Oak Hill controlled the game from the start and led by double-digits at the half. New Hope kept the game in reach in the third, but Oak Hill ultimately pulled out the victory 84-65 to get the road win. Oak Hill was led by Virginia commit B.J. Stith with 25 pts and NC State commit Caleb Martin with 18 pts. New Hope was led by senior guard Ryan Johnson with a game high 26 points. Here are some reports from a few of the standout players in the game.

New Hope Christian

Ryan Johnson (2014, SG, 6’5”)

Ryan was arguably the best shooter on the court tonight. He has range out to the college 3-pt line and has a smooth stroke. Has good length. Average athlete and quickness. Better playmaker and passer then give credit for. Solid feel for the game. Needs to improve ability to finish in traffic and his play on the defensive end. Still an unsigned SR who most LM schools should check out.

Oak Hill Academy

Caleb Martin (2014, G/F, 6’6”)

Terrific overall game tonight from Martin. He was all over the floor scoring, passing, defending, and rebounding. Versatile threat who showed an improved 1st step and good consistency from the 3-pt line. Can handle the ball and lead the break. High IQ player. Had multiple above the rim finishes tonight as well. NC State is a getting a good one.

B.J. Stith (2014, G, 6’5”)

Was Oak Hill’s best player tonight. High motor wing who rebounds the ball well for his size. Strong upper body and is a super athlete- explosive. Tremendous shooter who has a high release. Can shoot the midrange and the 3. Good defender who can defend several positions. Needs to continue to improve ball handling and ability to make plays out of P/R situations. Committed to UVA.

Terrence Phillips (2015, PG, 5’11”)

Pure PG who is equally effective in both the half-court and in transition. Good quickness and speed w/ the ball in the open court. Showed he could hit the open perimeter shot if the defender goes under the ball screen. Was able create for others and did a great job of playmaking. Excellent on-ball defender who moved his feet well. D1 caliber guard.

Rodney Miller (2016, C, 6’11”)

True back to the basket big who has a great upside. Good frame that will be able to add weight. Has a soft touch. Defends with out fouling and using size and length. Has a soft touch. Solid rebounder.

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Jahlil Okafor basketball Whitney Young

By Marcus Shockley

Scouting notes from the 2014 Hoop Hall Classic in Springfield, MA, featuring Chicago based powerhouse Whitney Young taking on Oak Hill, coached by the legendary Steve Smith. Whitney Young is led by Jahlil Okafor, a Duke commit, while Oak Hill features Cody and Caleb Martin, who are committed to NC State.

Jahlil Okafor (C, 6’10”, 2014) Whitney Young – I always like seeing true centers and Okafor certainly falls into that category. He has a back-to-the-basket game and establishes position in the paint expertly. He has great – emphasis on great – hands and really solid footwork. Generally a below-the-rim style big man, similar to Jared Sullivan or Tyler Hansbrough, but a bit more explosive in transition and has quicker footspeed. Already has a good set of post moves in his repertoire and is extremely hard for high school players to defend. He still needs to improve on his ability to recognize and pass out of the double team, and some of his defensive habits will make him foul-prone. He had a couple of really powerful monster dunks on the move, but his real asset is getting the ball in the post with his back to the basket. Committed to Duke.

Trevor Manual (PF, 6’9″, 2015) Oak Hill – Manual was the player that I enjoyed seeing the most in this game; he is explosive, long, active, and has great timing. He needs to add strength but he blasts up and down the floor in transition and is a high motor, high flying athlete who has good hands and really has a lot of upside. Manual is the type of player that can excel at the pro level, and that’s his upside, but he will need to show some shooting touch to go with that elite athleticism and length. Really impressed with his play in this one. Has a really nice old school running hook that should be a go-to move. Wake Forest and Michigan State have both offered Manual, and I think he’s a really solid prospect.

Paul White (SF/PF, 6’9″, 2014) Whitney Young – White and Trevor Manual have similar builds and athleticism, but White is better at putting the ball on the floor and has much better shooting range. Has great length and a high, quick release, but was more effective when Okafor was in the game, which made White the secondary focus of the defense. However, he’s definitely a high major player who looks like he will cause serious problems for slow footed power forwards at the college level. Has a very consistent elbow jumper and he’s a good shooter. Committed to Georgetown.

Caleb Martin, Cody Martin (SG/SF, 6’6″, 2014) Oak Hill – every time I’ve seen the Martins play over the past few years, Caleb has played the 2 while Cody plays the 3, even though, like most basketball twins, their games are extremely similar. Both are deadly from outside, great shooters with high releases, and both are elite athletes who can play above the rim. Caleb’s handle is slightly better than Cody’s at this point, but both are able to put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. They had trouble finishing inside against Okafor and White, but they are getting to the rim with ease and better than they ever have. Both are committed to NC State.

B.J. Stith (SG/SF, 6’5″, 2014) Oak Hill – It’s hard not to compare Stith with his father, who played at Virginia, where B.J. is committed. Like his father, Stith is an active and dynamic guard/forward, but B.J. looks like he’s a better deep shooter than his father was at this point. Stith is explosive and will scorch teams from deep, but has the ability to get to the rim and finish in traffic. He’s also a very good passer from the off guard position.

Rodney Miller (C, 6’11”, 2016) Oak Hill – Miller only is used sparingly due to the available upperclassmen, but he looks like a solid center prospect with great length and pro size. Still somewhat raw in the post, but looks like a player with a lot of upside – as in pro upside. Definitely a player to pay attention to.

Miles Reynolds (PG, 6’1″, 2014) Whitney Young – Reynolds was not shooting well in this one, but he’s a solid lead guard with a good handle and runs the offense. Defensively, he was very active and showed a knack for getting his hands on loose balls. Had a fantastic defensive block on Caleb Martin, which is impressive, as Martin is an elite slasher with several inches on him. Committed to St. Louis.

Terrence Phillips (PG, 6′, 2015) Oak Hill – With Shelton Mitchell likely out for the season, the burden of running the offense has fallen to Phillips, a very fast guard with a sure handle. Phillips is a pass-first point guard who shows a lot of potential. He does need more experience running the offense but didn’t turn the ball over and showed good awareness in transition. He showed excellent poise several times in the game by slowing the game down when Whitney Young started a scoring run.

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The early season match up between Davie County HS (NC) and Olympic HS (NC) was one of the best in this young season. This game was loaded with talent: Caleb and Cody Martin, two 6’6″ wings committed to NC State; Taylor and Austin Hatfield, also twins, are 6′ guards who share the floor with the Martins. Meanwhile, Olympic has B.J. Gladden, who has committed to Akron, Trey Mitchell and Deriece Parks.

Note that the game above will play all the way through. Check out some of the monster dunks in the fourth period, which is a barn burner.