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SoCalHoops High School News

Oak Hill: Eight D-I Players & More
In Store For Mater Dei--(Jan. 30, 2002)


Nike Extravaganza VII, Feb. 2, 2002 LB State Pyramid	What:	Nike Extravaganza VII
	When:	Saturday, February 2, 2002
	Where:	Long Beach State Pyramid

As everyone has heard by now, the marquee game taking place this Saturday night at the soon-to-be sold-out Long Beach State Pyramid will be USA Today's No. 1 consensus pick, Oak Hill of Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, taking on the Monarchs of Mater Dei who haven't lost a game in 13 consecutive outings since December. So who is Oak Hill and what can you expect to see in this game?

Just ask Westchester, an incredibly deep and talented team which has five D-I signees of its own on their roster what they thought about Oak Hill, and once they get past their mumbling and grumbling about losing to the Warriors at the Nike-sponsored Academy National Invitational Tournament in Houston, Texas last month, they will, if they're being honest about it, have to concede the fact that Oak Hill is really, really good. Not just good. They are a kick-ass, in your face, good team. And Mater Dei will have all that it can handle from these guys.

So who are they? Here's an Oak Hill fact "checklist" for those curious about this team and the school

Oak Hill is a private boarding school located in rural Virginia.
Oak Hill is a "regular" four-year high school. They don't take "post-grad" or 5th year players (it is widely believed, wrongly so, that they do)
Oak Hill will send at least 7 players to Division I schools, and one possibly to the NBA:
- Carmelo Anthony 6-8 Sr. F signed with Syracuse
- Justin Gray 6-2 Sr. G and Richard Joyce 6-5 Sr. G signed with Wake Forest
- Antywane Robinson 6-7 Sr. F signed with Temple
- Eric Wilkins 6-3 Sr. G signed with Miami, Fla.
- Ian Johnson 6-9 Sr. F signed with Davidson
- Chadd Moore 6-2 Sr. G signed with Cincinnati
- Sani Ibrahim 6-10 Sr. C, may sign, but will likely declare for the NBA

120 Oak Hill players have signed with Division I schools since 1978
15 Oak Hill players, including DeSagana Diop (No. 8 pick out of high school ) last spring, have reached the NBA
By the time Oak Hill plays Mater Dei on Saturday, they will have played in 30 games thus far this season, in a schedule which has them playing 38 regular season games. (The press guide for Oak Hill has their current record at 23-0, but they also play a number of exhibitions and scrimmages, and while they don't count in their total, believe us when we tell you these games aren't just for "practice")
Mater Dei will have played in 24 games before the Oak Hill game on Saturday

Last season Billy Edelin (Syracuse) and Rashaad Carruth (Kentucky) signed early, which was a low number of D-I signees for the Warriors. In the 1992-93 season, Oak Hill had 10 future Division I players, including
Jerry Stackhouse and that year, Oak Hill went 36-0 and finished ranked atop the mythical "national" polls.
Oak Hill coach Steve Smith's record in 15 seasons (before the start of this season) was 473-31. Add 30 more games to that total (Oak Hill has not lost this year) and

So who are the Oak Hill Warriors? Here's a look at the roster:

1	Justin Gray	6'2"	Sr.	G
2	Chad Moore	6'2"	Sr	G
5	Mark Hamrick	5'10"	Sr.	G
11	Eric Wilkins	6'3"	Sr.	F
21	Ian Johnson	6'9	Sr	G/F
22	Carmelo Anthony	6'7"	Sr	G
23	Richard Joyce	6'5"	Sr	F
24	Antywane Robinson	6'7"	Sr	F
31	Ella Ella	6'7"	Sr	F
33	Dion Dacons	6'6"	Jr	F
34	Sani Ibrahim	6'10"	Sr	F

Keep in mind that this is a team that beat Westchester, then ranked as the No. 1 team in the country , 77-61. They beat the best team in South Carolina by 36 points. They beat Louisville Male, a perennial power, 72-49, and they won the Schwab Oregon Invitational Tournament, blazing though the same tournament field which was responsible for Mater Dei's worst tournament showing, in years, with three losses.

So, can Mater Dei, which has won it's last 12 straight games since the Schwab Tournament put it together to challenge a team which has decimated it's prior opponents? Who knows. But it will be fun to find out on Saturday night at the Pyramid.

See you there.