NEO teams tabbed to play in prestigious Flyin’ to the Hoop
Hoop heads in Northeast Ohio who want to see some top programs in the area take on some of the top programs in the state and country for that matter should head to Kettering, Ohio the weekend of Jan. 12-15.
There, inside the James S. Trent Arena, will be the site of the 16th annual Premier Health Flyin’ to the Hoop Invitational.
Four teams from NEO will participate in the event, which for years has featured some of the best prep teams and prep talent in the country. The event is conducted over the long Martin Luther King. Jr. Holiday. It features 38 teams and 20 games spread out over a four-day period. More than 75 Division-I players are expected to perform.
NEO teams blanket the schedule on Sunday Jan. 14 when Akron St. Vincent-St.Mary takes on Fairland, Ohio at 3 p.m. The School Which Produced LBJ has one of the top freshmen in the state in Seth Wilson, a 6’2” guard, and it will be interesting to see how Wilson is developing at that point of the season.
Perhaps the best team in Ohio, if not the entire country, will take the floor at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 14 when Garfield Heights takes on Prolific Prep. Garfield Heights’ roster is lined with Division I prospects including Alonzo Gaffney, a 6’9” big who can go inside and outside, and has seen his stock shoot up during the summer.
“It’s one of the premier events. It’s an honor to get to play,” said Garfield Heights coach Sonny Johnson of his team’s invite to the event.
Prolific Prep of Napa Valley, Ca., recently turned out Josh Jackson, who went No. 4 overall in June to Phoenix, and this just completed season featured Gary Trent Jr.
Cleveland Heights, one of Northeast Ohio’s blueblood prep basketball programs, will take on Springfield at 8:30 p.m. The Tigers feature one of the better point guards in the state in Yahel Hill (2018).
Brush (Lyndhurst) will play on the final day of the tournament (Jan. 15) when the Arcs and their highly- touted big man, 6’9” John Hugley (2020), takes on Hughes in a 3 p.m. tip-off. Brush also features two other prospects in guard D.J. Dial and Andre Harris, who are both in the Class of 2019.