Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary had no answer for Bates-Diop early. He had Trent Arena buzzing after making four 3-pointers in the first quarter. He finished with 31 points and 10 rebounds in an spirited 89-78 setback to the Irish.
“I usually shoot pretty well, but I haven’t been that hot in a while,” he said. “Most of those people hadn’t seen me play. I wanted to give them a taste of what they’re going to be seeing.”
Who's who: One of Flyin's neat qualities is its lure of high-profile college head coaches. Fairmont athletic director Chris Weaver knows they're coming, but it's anyone's guess when they'll show.
“It’s funny talking to our parking guys,” he said. “They’ll say, ‘Yeah, (Michigan State coach) Tom Izzo just showed up and paid his two dollars.’ They’ve always been really gracious with the kids signing autographs.”
Kentucky coach John Calipari sat on the front row for Saturday’s Franklin/HCYA (Texas) game. The second half was nearly delayed because arena staff couldn’t get Calipari autograph seekers and hand-shakers off the court.
“We learned from that,” said Weaver.
Hot shot: Akron SVSM sophomore VJ King is on everyone's wish list. His stat line against University is why: 30 points, 10-of-11 free throws, 2 treys, 8 rebounds.
He’s 6-7 and is listed as a guard.
Ouch: Centerville coach Brook Cupps was taken aback following a 67-49 dismantling by Massillon Jackson.
“That’s a tough team to defend,” he said. “They can make you look bad and they did.”
Consistency has been missing by the Elks. They didn’t come close to resembling the team that recently won at Beavercreek.
Quick work: Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary senior guard Parris Campbell made a brief appearance vs. University (Ill.). The sub fouled out with 5:20 left … in the third quarter and was scoreless.
He should have a greater impact as an incoming running back at Ohio State. He’ll join teammate Dante Booker, a 6-4, 215-pound linebacker, with the Buckeyes. Booker also is an Irish basketball reserve.
On deck: Six more games today will close out the four-day event. Versailles opens against Christian Brothers (Mo.) at 11:30 a.m. and Trotwood-Madison closes against Prime Prep (Texas) at 8:15 p.m.
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