Notes and quotes from Flyin' To The Hoop

This was my second straight year attending the #2-ranked basketball showcase event in America called Flyin' To The Hoop at Kettering Fairmont's Trent Arena. I came for the Saturday games starting at 10:00 am, took an extended lunch break in the middle of the day, and stayed until the last game was almost finished around 10:00 pm. Below are a few of my notes and quotes from the day...

Russia basketball fans are the best
Among Saturday's lineup of powerhouse schools that came from other states, there was a list of Ohio schools that included Tri-Village, Centerville, Thurgood Marshall, Franklin, Cincinnati Aiken, and several from the Columbus area. The smallest school, D-IV Russia, beat them all in fan support. Granted, it was the Raiders first time in the prestigious showcase, but it was enough to make event founder and president Eric Horstman smile. I talked to Eric before the 10:00 am Russia game and indeed he was smiling. As he gazed at the crowd he said "I had no idea. Thanks for making me look like a genius."

One Flyin' To The Hoop veteran told me "last year nobody came for the 

10am game." This year Russia filled the stands from top to bottom!

Tri-Village knows how to win 

They're not flashy. All Tri-Village does is find a way to win. I'll admit, I had a tough time believing in this team last year when they finished the regular season 20-1. I thought they played in a weak conference and would go down in tournament to the mighty SCAL or MAC. Then I covered their games as they walloped Ft. Loramie, a loaded Troy Christian team, and Marion Local to advance to the state tournament. This year the Patriots made their debut at Flyin' To The Hoop with an 11-0 record and ranked #2 in the latest AP state poll. I told myself again, they play in a weak conference and aren't really that good. Then I watched Saturday as they beat undefeated and #3-ranked Russia 56-49. Tri-Village played the best defense I've seen all season. They also have two horses named Cook and Linkous with an outstanding point guard in VanWinkle. I spoke to a half dozen Russia fans afterwards who said "if (fill in the blank) would have happened we could have won." They were exactly right. However, Tri-Village found a way to win.

Josh Sagester's teams have 84 victories in the past 3-1/2 seasons.

The only thing they haven't won yet is a state championship!

The pre-game dunk show is ridiculous

Pre-game dunking during warm-ups isn't allowed during the regular season, but it's allowed at Flyin' To The Hoop. It's ridiculous (and that's not slang meaning it's cool). I'll estimate I saw 40-50 players trying to draw attention to themselves with pre-game dunks. I'd probably cringe if I knew how much time they actually spent practicing these dunks back home. How many of them dunked on Saturday in games? Very few. So, you can dribble from half court with nobody guarding you and slam dunk. How about just draining the five foot bunny shot from the baseline when you're being guarded and your team needs two. That will get a bigger roar. 

Best game of the day

The main event was the last game of the day at 8:30 pm, but the best game of the day tipped right before that at 6:45 pm as Prolific Prep (CA) took on La Lumiere (IN). The #1-ranked junior in the country named Josh Jackson, who holds offers from Ohio State, Louisville, Michigan State and Kansas, plays for Prolific Prep and it was clear from warm-ups he was athletic (back to that pre-game dunk show thing again). Josh showcased his talents with 26 hard-earned points. However, La Lumiere countered with an equally talented senior guard named Jalen Coleman who already signed with Illinois. Jalen wasn't as flashy as Josh, but he lead his team with 30 points, including a 3-pointer to send the game into overtime. La Lumiere pulled out the exciting win in the end 71-69.

The Luke Kennard show

It was obvious that a majority of the standing-room-only crowd was there to see Franklin High School superstar and future Duke Blue Devil, Luke Kennard. As one guy put it, "I've never seen as much Duke stuff as any single school today at Flyin' To The Hoop." The last game of the day pitted Franklin against Montrose Christian (MD), the high school of last years NBA MVP Kevin Durant. After Montrose Christian fouled Luke twice before he could even set up Franklin's offense on their first possession, it was pretty clear the Mustangs plan was to harass Luke the whole game. In the end Luke went to the charity stripe 40 times and converted 34 free throws, breaking a 41-year old OHSAA record of 28 made free throws. He also finished with 47 points in the 77-75 win to pass Jerry Lucas and Bob Huggins for 10th place on Ohio's all-time career scoring list. 

A sold out crowd filled up Trent Arena to see Luke Kennard. 

Someone even mimicked online ticket sales and sold fake tickets!

Final notes

It simply doesn't get any better for a Saturday of basketball than Flyin' To The Hoop at Trent Arena. Tickets are affordable, every seat is great and I'm entertained all day. I bought my ticket online for $26.31 and had a reserved seat with a back in the 7th row at half court. By comparison, I could have skipped Flyin' To The Hoop, went across town to UD Arena and paid $26.90 from Ticketmaster for a reserved seat with a back in the 400 level to watch the Flyers play Saint Louis. No thanks, I'd rather watch Luke Kennard and the best high school players in the nation... even if I have to put up with their pre-game dunk show!