Four ranked teams to take the floor in Ohio's Flyin' to the Hoop Basketball Invitational

Xcellent 25 Basketball Rankings
Find out where things stand heading into the biggest weekend of the season.

Two things – flight and basketball, have long defined Dayton. Those two passions collide Friday through Sunday at the 16th annual Premier Health Flyin' to the Hoop national high school basketball spectacular at Kettering’s Trent Arena.

A stones throw from where the Wright Brothers gave birth to aviation and a few miles from the venue that’s hosted more NCAA Basketball Tournament games than any other (University of Dayton Arena), Flyin' to the Hoop (FTTH) has established it’s own niche as one of the country’s top attractions. It is a must-see for any hoops fan.

The lineage is impressive.

Three of the last six No. 1 NBA Draft picks (Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Davis and Anthony Bennett) are FTTH alumni. Overall, 45 former Flyin' to the Hoop participants have made a NBA roster. Of those, 38 have come in the last seven seasons. Stars of tomorrow? No doubt. They are here today.

This weekend four squads in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 take the court. So too does some of the country’s top talent and teams.

37 schools. 20 games. Four days.

What to Watch…

Friday, Jan. 12

6:30 p.m. – SPIRE Institute (Geneva, Ohio) vs. Fairmont (Kettering, Ohio)
SPIRE Academy will be making its FTTH debut against the host school. Coach Nathan Gentile brings the Lakehawks to Dayton with a couple familiar faces. Seniors DeVon Baker and Caleb McConnell both played their first three seasons at Dayton Dunbar and now help lead upstart Spire. Spire sophomore Robert Bobroczkyi, who stands 7-foot-7, is another attraction. He was featured on MaxPreps previously. Fairmont, winners of eight straight, is led by senior Jack Hendricks who set school records for points (52) and 3-pointers (14) in a game earlier this season.

8:15 p.m. – No. 9 Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) vs. Huntington St. Joseph Prep (W.Va.)
Two FTTH staples and two of the best teams nationally will lock horns in Friday’s nightcap. Findlay Prep brings to town one of the country’s best prospects in Bol Bol, son of the late Manute Bol. The 7-foot-2 senior has verbally committed to Oregon. Connor Vanover (Memphis), Jamie Lewis (Wake Forest), Reggie Chaney (Arkansas), Kyler Edwards (Texas Tech) and Nathan Mensah (San Diego State) give Findlay Prep a total of six high-major commits. Sophomore Jaemyn Brakefield is a headliner for Huntington Prep. The Jackson, Miss., native is currently evaluated as a 5-Star prospect. Rasir Bolton (Penn State) is another top-notch player to keep an eye on. Juniors Michael Christmas and Marvin Price have also been stellar thus far in 2017. Along with some other highly valued prospects, freshman Jonathan Kuminga is one of the top 2021 prospects in the country.

Saturday, Jan. 13

11:30 a.m. – Springboro (Ohio) Girls vs. Tippecanoe (Tipp City, Ohio) Girls
The lone girls matchup of the weekend features two of Ohio’s best. Springboro has just a pair of defeats and Tipp City’s record is spotless. The two teams combined for a total of 43 wins a season ago. Tipp’s Maddie Fredrick will play her college ball at Iowa State, while Allison Mader is headed to Cedarville University. Springboro is led by Jordan Diehl, Lily Browning, Kennedy Lewis, Peyton Nation and Rachel Gillum.

1:15 p.m. – Olentangy Liberty (Powell, Ohio) vs. Xenia (Ohio)
In the first all-Ohio match up of the weekend, two D-I challengers square off. Xenia features one of Ohio’s best juniors in Samari Curtis. The highly coveted Curtis is currently averaging 31.7 points per game. He scored 50 recently against Tippecanoe. Juniors Ben Roderick (28 points per game) and Nick Nakasian (15) give Liberty a formidable duo. Roderick holds a handful of D-I offers and doubles as a wide receiver on the Patriots state semifinalist football team.

3 p.m.  – SPIRE Institute vs. Hilliard Bradley (Ohio)
SPIRE's second game will be against one of Ohio’s best in Hilliard Bradley. The Jaguars feature seniors Braden Norris (Oakland) and Isaiah Speelman (Cedarville) and own one of the state’s top sophomore guard combos in Matt Allocco and Chris Mayfield. Freshmen Jack Pugh and AJ Mirgon are ones to watch. Senior Kory Taylor (wide receiver) and junior Zach Hummel (tight end) are Power 5 football recruits. Taylor is headed to Purdue, while Hummel holds offers from Louisville, Cincinnati and Toledo.

4:45 p.m. – Pickerington North (Ohio) vs. Princeton (Cincinnati, Ohio)
The marquee matchup on Saturday features Ohio’s top two prospects in Pickerington North’s Jerome Hunter (Indiana) and Princeton’s Darius Bazley (Syracuse). Hunter, who averages 22 points, put 46 up earlier this week in a win over Dublin Coffman. Bazley is averaging 18.8 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.7 blocks. Both teams have a plethora of talented kids. Pickerington North finished as regional runner-up a year ago and returns almost its entire roster. The Panthers two losses came at the hands of unbeatens Wayne and South Bend Riley (IN), both by six points or less. North has a strong group of seniors featuring Eli Macnamara (Miami, Ohio), Dondre Palmer (Findlay), Ty Wiley (football prospect) and Tyler “Red” Potts (Ball State football recruit). Sophomore Chris Scott and freshman Jack Sawyer are both highly coveted football prospects. Princeton is primed for a breakout year. Senior returnees include Darweshi Hunter, Dominic Pierce, Gabe O’Neal, Isaac Hawkins, and Dariyus Wooten. A talented group of sophomores includes Isaiah Kennedy, Aaron Ward, Darion Henry (football prospect) and Khalil Davis.

6:30 p.m. – No. 11 McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) vs. Trotwood-Madison (Ohio)
Trotwood-Madison was the most prolific scoring team in the state of Ohio last season en route to 26 wins, but the Rams fell short in the D-II state final four to a team (St. Vincent-St. Mary) they had beat by 39 points in the regular season. The Rams return plenty of firepower in senior Myles Belyeu; juniors Amari Davis, Malachi Mathews and Justin Stephens; and talented sophomores Sammy Anderson and Carl Blanton. Belyeu and Davis are combining for over 46 points. McEachern, a consensus Top 10 team nationally, is off to another quick start following last season’s (29-1) campaign, which ended to Tift County in the Georgia 5A state tournament. McEachern handled all of Georgia’s best last season including Wheeler on two occasions. Senior Brandon Suggs, who owns offers from Georgia Tech and Texas AM, is the glue for a team full of talented juniors. McEachern possesses four of the Top 25 prospects in Georgia’s 2020 Class according to Hoop Seen’s Justin Young. Isaac Okoro (No. 2), Babatunde Akingbola (No. 5), Jared Jones (No. 10/Auburn commitment), and Isaac Martin (No. 21). Sophomore point guard Sharife Cooper is one of the best in the Peach State. McEachern’s lone defeat came in the prestigious City of Palms Tournament in Fort Myers, Florida. The Indians lost to the eventual champion and No. 2 ranked University (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.). They beat Chicago-power and No. 12 ranked Simeon for third place.

8:15 p.m. – IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) vs. Prolific Prep Academy (Napa, Calif.)
IMG Academy features Keyshawn Embery (Arkansas), Darius Days (LSU), junior Josh Green, 7-foot-3 Chol Marial and sophomore guard Noah Farrakhan. All are high-major prospects or signees. Prolific Prep will counter with fast-rising big man Jordan Brown. Brown, originally from Roseville (Calif.), has taken his play to the next level this season at Prolific Prep averaging 18.3 points, 11.5 rebounds, and four blocks. Seniors Jeenathan Williams (Buffalo), Amadou Sow (UC Santa Barbara), Sekou Toure (UC Santa Barbara) and sophomore Nimari Burnett (DePaul and Illinois offers) all average double figures. Prolific Prep (13-5) has already played the likes of Sunrise Christian (Bel Aire, Kan.), Huntington Prep, Memphis East (Tenn.), West Oaks (Orlando, Fla.), Westtown (West Chester, Pa.), Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) and Findlay Prep.

Sunday, Jan. 14

11:30 a.m. – Mountain Mission (Grundy, Va.) vs. Miamisburg (Ohio)
Miamisburg relies on its quartet of H’s as in senior Jason Hubbard and juniors Duncan Hall, Corey Hartman and Brett Hensley. Mountain Mission is led by head coach Al Wilson Jr., previously a player and head coach at Cleveland Benedictine. The Challengers are big starting with senior Florent Thamba (offers from several high-major schools). Russian product Daniil Kasatkin is a verbal commit to Penn State and Poland-born Dawid Saczewski is another name to watch.

1:15 p.m. – Sidney (Ohio) vs. Versailles (Ohio)
This could take the cake for individual matchup of the day when Sidney’s Andre Gordon takes the floor against Versailles’ Justin Ahrens (Ohio State signee). Both players are sizzling to start the season. Ahrens is averaging 28 points, while Gordon, a junior, is averaging 27. Sidney junior Ratez Roberts is nearly averaging a double-double (12.1 points and 9.3 rebounds). Ahrens had 46 points (hit 10 3-pointers) in the opener against Celina and a hit a dramatic game-winner against Anna. His twin brother, AJ, has also been playing very well along with senior Keaton McEldowney. The Ahrens’ have another brother, Kyle, who plays at Michigan State.

3 p.m. – Fairland (Proctorville, Ohio) vs. St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio)
This contest features two teams that are legit Ohio D-II title contenders. Akron SVSM, the reigning state champ, has very few household names like in year’s past, but don’t be fooled, this is a very good basketball team. Juniors Lunden McDay and Chris Painter are the two returning starters from last year’s state title team, and senior Scott Walter is a three-year mainstay. Juniors Vann Thomas, Darius Cone and Keyshawn Jones have been good early. Freshman Seth Wilson is one of the best Class of 2021 players in Ohio. He had 23 points in an overtime loss to No. 17 Garfield Heights. Fairland, a state semifinalist in D-III last season, returns a veteran squad, which includes four of five starters and instant offense in sixth man Keedrick Cunningham. Isaiah Howell, Ty Staten, Luke Thomas and Kollin Van Horn have been logging minutes for what seems like the last decade for the Dragons. One tough blow Fairland suffered was losing returning starter Gunner Short (Rio Grande) with a season-ending injury. Fairland just finished its trip to the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C., where it dropped its first two games to Cox Mill (Concord, N.C.) and Lanett (Ala.) before handling the host school.

4:45 p.m. – Covington Catholic (Park Hills, Ky.) vs. Middletown (Ohio)
One of Kentucky’s best meets one of Ohio’s most historic programs. Covington Catholic is led by a trio of seniors in CJ Fredrick (21 points per game), Aiden Ruthsatz (18.4) and 7-footer Jake Walter (12). Frederick, an Iowa signee, comes from good pedigree as his father Joe played at Notre Dame. Ruthsatz has signed with Christian Brothers and Walter has inked with Xavier. Middletown has struggled out of the gate, but under head coach Darnell Hoskins and assistant Pete Pullen (former Dunbar head man), the Middies won’t be down for long. Juniors Aaron Jones and KeiAuntie Powell along with 6-foot-6 senior Jawunn Bailey have been productive for a school with seven boys basketball state championships.

6:30 p.m. – Prolific Prep (CA) vs. No. 17 Garfield Heights (Ohio)
Prolific Prep returns to action on Sunday night against arguably the most talented team in Ohio. Garfield Heights comes to Dayton with a large reputation, but thus far the Bulldogs have been able to back up the hype. Junior Alonzo Gaffney, a transfer from Cleveland VASJ, is a consensus Top 30 player in the country. Gaffney, averaging around 19 points a game, has major interest from Ohio State, Michigan State, Louisville and North Carolina. Another surfacing name is Meechie Johnson, who is the nephew of head coach Sonny Johnson (Ohio Mr. Basketball in 1998). Only a freshman, Johnson already owns a 50-point game in a win over Cleveland Benedictine. He is averaging nearly 25 points per outing. Senior guard Alex Heath, a Cleveland Central Catholic transfer, is off to a hot start as well (18 points per game). Additional weapons include senior Donovan Forte (Jacksonville) and junior Bryson Waller (Kansas State and Pitt offers).

8:15 p.m. – Cleveland Heights (Ohio) vs. Springfield (Ohio)
Springfield is off to a great start behind junior guard JaJuan Rodgers and four-year mainstay Leonard Taylor, a Power 5 football recruit. Juniors David Sanford and RaHeim Moss team with sophomore Larry Stephens to provide support. Cleveland Heights senior and four-year starter Yahel Hill owns a 30-point game this season, while classmate Tyreke Smith, one of the most sought-after football prospects in America, recently committed to Ohio State at the Under Armour All-American Game. Javon Roberts, Keith Jackson, Grayson Green and John Miller can also get the job done for the Tigers. Should be a highly entertaining game.
 
Monday, Jan. 15

11:30 a.m. – Franklin Monroe (Pitsburg, Ohio) vs. Minster (Ohio)
Following another state football championship, Minster is ready to settle into basketball season. Junior Mike Ketner returns for the Wildcats after earning second team All-Midwest Athletic Conference a season ago. Isaac Schmiesing, 6-foot-9 junior Jarod Schulze and 6-foot-6 junior Cody Frericks are other names to watch for Minster along with senior guard Adam Knapke and sophomore Jacob Salazar. Franklin Monroe junior Ethan Conley is one of the best players in southwest Ohio and has surpassed 30 points on two occasions this season. Seniors Kyle Ressler and Zach Cable are also experienced players.

1:15 p.m. – Fort Loramie (Ohio) vs. Thurgood Marshall (Dayton, Ohio)
Fort Loramie, a favorite to win Ohio’s small school division state title, is stocked with veterans. The Redskins return seven of their top eight players and four starters form a 20-win team that made the regionals last year. Seniors Evan Berning, Dillon Braun and Tyler Siegel lead the way with a wealth of experience. Thurgood Marshall enjoyed monumental success from 2009 through 2016, and after a couple down years, the Cougars have reloaded with some young talent looking to make some waves. Along with the new prospects, Thurgood has added Chaminade Julienne transfer Eric Boykin Jr. The aforementioned youngsters include a pair of really good freshmen in Anthony McCombs and Chanze Amerson. Juniors Tavell Simms and Travis Person give the Cougars more scoring power.

3 p.m. – Brush (Lyndhurst, Ohio) vs. Hughes (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Hughes features four players averaging double-digit points in senior Giovanni Santiago (19.1 points per game), Dwayne Rosado (15.3), Arian Smith (11.2) and Shawn Hawkins (10). Brush, coached by 2000 Ohio Mr. Basketball Chet Mason, owns a nice group of young talent featuring junior guards DJ Dial and Andre Harris and sophomore John Hughley. All three own multiple D-I offers. Seniors Tahj Benton, Deion Burton, and Tyler Williams provide scoring punch for the Arcs.

4:45 p.m. – Pickerington Central (Ohio) vs. No. 11 McEachern
McEachern’s second game is against a squad that reached the D-I state semifinals last year. Central, however, will be without the services of junior guard Jeremiah Francis, a Top 100 talent and North Carolina commitment. Francis is nursing a knee injury. Central is certainly not void of talent with the likes of high-flyer Adrian Nelson (Detroit Mercy), talented sophomore Josiah Fulcher, senior Juan Elmore, junior Javohn Garcia and junior Coleton Landis. The Tigers played in the Battle at the Villages in Florida earlier this season.

6:30 p.m. – No. 21 La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.) vs. Aspire Academy (Louisville, Ky.)
The defending national champions from last season, La Lumiere returns to Trent Arena with nearly an entire new cast. One returnee is point guard Tyger Campbell. The 6-foot senior recently re-classed to 2018 and de-committed from DePaul. The Blue Demons are still in the mix as is Purdue and some others. Charles Smith is one of the top newbies, a junior wing from Houston, Texas. Junior Isaiah Stewart and classmate Emmanuel Miller are also major contributors to first-year boss Patrick Holmes. Aspire Academy features highly ranked junior Charles Bassey. The native Nigerian came to Aspire via St. Anthony in San Antonio, Texas along with three of his teammates. Other key contributors for the Wizards include seniors Kein Maisonneuve, Joel Ntambwe, Nygal Russell and junior De'Sean Allen-Eikens, a native of North Dakota.

8:15 p.m. – Upper Arlington (Columbus, Ohio) vs. Wayne (Huber Heights, Ohio)
The event finale should be a great one with Upper Arlington and Huber Heights Wayne. The two debuted at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in this week’s first Ohio Associated Press D-I state poll. UA is led by senior Dane Goodwin (22 points per game) who is headed to Notre Dame after de-committing from Ohio State. Junior Max Martz is the team’s second leading scorer at 12.4 points per game and holds a handful of D-I offers. Wayne leans on the senior trio of Darius Quisenberry, L’Christian Smith and Deshon Parker. Quisenberry (Youngstown State) is averaging a team-leading 17.9 points per game to go along with nearly seven assists and five rebounds. Smith, an Ohio State football signee, averages 14.2 points and 9 rebounds. He recently surpassed 1,000 career points. Parker averages 12.9 points.

Kurt Stubbs contributed to this article.