Grassroots Program Preview: Nova Village
The OH-NOVA and VCC-NOVA grassroots teams are known by many across the state as teams you don’t want to see in your pool to start the weekend. However, within the Nova Village Club, everyone involved knows that the program is more than simply AAU basketball teams.
“When you have success, especially AAU wise, you get a lot of attention. But, we feel like we’ve been impacting our community for a long time. There are a lot of families and kids that will go unnoticed because they are not D-I recruits,” Andreas James, Director of Program Development and Training, said.
“We get involved with players from pre-K to the professional ranks at any stage of their development,” James said.
Speaking of differences, Nova separates themselves by creating a unique environment. As mentioned, James heads the training staff, but he’s consulted by co-founders, James Tanks III and Calvin Booth, who went to Groveport Madison High School and is now on the Minnesota Timberwolves coaching staff.
Between Tanks III, Booth, and James, who joined the program after coaching at Tiffin University, there’s an expert dynamic that they apply to training and coaching young players. Given the success of their athletes, both on and off the court, they’ve truly figured some pieces out.
“A lot of kids right now are in environments that are intense all the time … I think we need to also implement some times when kids are just playing. Whether it’s open gym, out to the park for 3-on-3, pick-up ball. You know, where they can have some fun as well,” James said.
This “holistic approach,” as James coined it, has produced some fantastic ball-players, including several kids currently in their high school program that carry Division I offers. Because the Nova Village currently has double-digit high school teams, James and Prep Hoop only had time to really dive into those particular kids during the interview. To be clear, all of the Nova teams are packed with collegiate level talent. But for times sake, we couldn’t get to everyone.
“There’s a host of kids whose recruitment we see really taking off this summer, as schools begin to prioritize,” James said.
Jerome Hunter (2018), 6’7” W, Pickerington North
Hunter has emerged over the past year or so, picking up 16 Division I offers on the way.
One could argue that Hunter is the most sought after recruit in Ohio’s 2018 class, which is loaded at the top. Hunter led his high school team to an unexpected Regional Finals appearance, bringing him even more momentum heading into summer.
Yahel Hill (2018), 5’11” PG, Cleveland Heights
Hill currently has “MAC offers,” according to James. He’s another player who has benefitted from hard work, as his stock has risen considerably lately. Hill has separated himself as one of the top point guards in this 2018 class.
Devon Baker (2018), 6’1” G, Dayton Dunbar
Baker will also play with Hill and Hunter on an OH-NOVA team this season. He also has “MAC offers,” according to James. While Baker is a natural point guard, his experiences alongside Hill, and at Dunbar alongside Caleb McConnell, have allowed him to expand into more of combo guard.
Eli McNamara (2018), 6’9” F, Pickerington North
McNamara, a forward that can score both inside and out, holds offers from Stony Brook and Notre Dame (OH). According to James, mid-major schools are showing strong interest.
Max Martz (2019), 6’6” W, Upper Arlington
“I think without Jordan Mitchell here, I think he’s rated as the top kid here in Central Ohio. It depends on the rankings, but a top kid here in Central Ohio. He has a Western Carolina offer,” James said.
Ben Roderick (2019), 6’5” W, Olentangy Liberty
Roderick received an offer from UT-Martin yesterday. He will play on the same team at Martz, a duo James described as, “By far, Division I kids.”
“He led all sophomores in scoring in Central Ohio, at 19 points per game,” James said.
Cade Stover (2019), 6’5”, Lexington
“He’s worth noting, because he just got a football offer from Ohio State,” James said.
Stover is a physical basketball player, as well. It will be interesting to see which options open up for Stover on the basketball end as well.
“From what I’m hearing a lot of people are saying football, I see Ohio State just got involved. But from my understanding, [the family] is wide open,” James said.
Terin Kinsway (2019), 6’5” W/F, Delaware Hayes
Kinsway is yet another young student-athlete that will have both football and basketball options for college. Although Kinsway and Stover play on separate 16U teams, according to James, both are “projecting as kids that will go Division I.”