Middle School Preview Marks Tip Off of Basketball Season

Middle School Preview Marks Tip Off of Basketball Season




Bwerwick vs Westeville Genoa
For
the last 8 years, one of the sure signs that the Columbus City League middle
school season is just around the corner is the tip off of the annual Africentric Early College Middle School Boys
Basketball Preview. Friday night, approximately
300 fans packed the Africentric High School gym to see 10 Columbus-area middle
schools debut their 2013/2014 squads. Africentric Head Coach Mike Bates inherited
the event from a rival high school, and has continued to provide a competitive
forum for Columbus middle school basketball.
In terms of the format, 10 teams participated in the event, which
included two, 6-minute halves. The following were the matchups on Friday: Starling vs Indianola K-8; KIPP Academy vs.
Boys City Preps; Johnson Park vs. Westerville Genoa (7th); Berwick K-8 vs.
Westerville Genoa (8th); and Africentric vs. Columbus Arts Tech.The
opening game featured a matchup between Starling and Indianola. Indianola would
take an 11-8 lead into the break and would go on to collect the win. Although there was no elite talent on either
team, Indianolas Ricardo Volley (54
PG), an 8th grader, led all scorers with 8 points.

Ty Wiley Excited the Crowd
Game
#2 pitted KIPP Academy against Boys City Prep. Very early, Boys City Preps was
clearly the team to beat based on their length, plus the fact their roster
included one of the top 8th grade point guards in the state in Ty Wiley (57 PG). The
more talented Boys City Preps led at halftime 13-7 and by the time the horn
sounded on the game, Preps had secured the 25-14 win. His shot was off and he only scored 3 points,
but Wiley was clearly the most talented player on the court. On a couple
occasions Wiley excited the crowd with his tight handle, dribble moves and his
ability to drop dimes to open teammates. Although Wiley was the only elite
player in the game, there were several other prospects that could emerge down
the road. Keep an eye on Stanley
Williams (63 C). Williams led with a game-high 6 points, and is more
potential than production right now, but at 63 in the 8th grade, he
could end up being a good one in a couple years. Dennis Peterson (60 WF), Naelle
Simmons (60 C 7th grader), Jordan
Barrett (511 WF), Tyrique Tribble
(510 WF) and Antonio Green (53 PG)
could all turn out to be quality players going forward.In
the third game of the night, Johnson Park blew by Westerville Genoa 30-5. There is not much to say about this one as
the game was never in doubt. A couple of players to watch include: Chernor Bah (61 C) and Keon Dooley (56 PG/SG). Bah finished
with 7 points and Dooley added 5.

Jeremiah Francis-5'11 PG
The
4th game on the slate was a Berwick Alterative vs Westerville Genoa
matchup. Although Westerville was surprisingly competitive early, Berwick would
lead at the break 14-8, and would later extend the lead to 26-12 as time ran
out. Berwick was led by Jeremiah Francis
(511 PG), arguably the top floor general in the state in the class of
2019. Francis did not disappoint as he
hit floaters, dropped dimes and bullied his way to a game-high 9 points. Every
time I attend an event I hope to discover fresh new talent that I can introduce
to our readers. Well, Westervilles Solomon
Pierre-Louis (61 WF) is a name to remember! Pierre-Louis has significant upside
potential with his size, skill set and athleticism. The kid has good length,
can play multiple positions, pushes the ball on the break and passes well for
his size. He was really more of a point forward on Friday. Im not sure anybody
know about this kid, but I trust that AAU coaches will be blowing up his phone
soon. Also keep an eye out for Isaiah
Hairston (61 WF). The brother of Northlands Ty Hairston, Isaiah has more
length at this point and could develop into something special with continued growth
and development.

Solomon Pierre-Louis-6'1 WF Westerville
The
finale was not much of a game, as Columbus Arts Tech trounced Africentric
24-7. The only notable aspect of this game was the play of Jabohe Garcia (510 SG). Garcia, only a 7th grader,
could be a good prospect in the future. Blessed with good length for his
position, ball skills and vision, Garcia has a ton of potential. Although
there was not a ton of individual talent or many household names at this event,
there were a number of intriguing prospects who could emerge as players in a
couple of years. Many of the kids I featured in this recap are very raw, but with
these types of players, once they get to high school, they often turn out to be
solid college prospects. Congratulations to Coach Mike Bates and his staff for
hosting a nice event.Pictured Below: Jabohe Garcia, Ricardo Volley Chernor Bah


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