Mayo, Tropics Heating Up

Discussion in 'College Recruiting and Prospects' started by j0se, Apr 23, 2006.

  1. j0se

    j0se JBB Banned Member

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    http://hoop-rap.com/news/newsview.php?getstory=639

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    <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">HOUSTON - O.J. Mayo knows very little Spanish beyond the phrase "como estas?"

    But if the Cincinnati superstar keeps playing with the otherwise all-Hispanic Miami Tropics, he may pick up phrases such as "muy bueno" to describe his performance Saturday morning as well as that of teammates Luis Colon and Freddy Asprilla.

    All three had significant contributions as the new-look Tropics improved to 2-0 in the Kingwood Classic with a 71-61 win over the Illinois-based Rising Stars.

    The Tropics now move into the elimination rounds and would need to win twice more Saturday night and four times on Sunday to win the tournament, which is the biggest in the nation.

    Mayo got off to a slow start Friday night in his Tropics debut. He had 2 points in the first half and finished with 14. On Saturday, he had 9 in the first half and then exploded in the final 16 minutes, scoring 18 points.

    Mayo, a 6-5 point guard ranked the No. 1 junior in the nation, finished with 27 points, 7 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals. He also had four dunks.

    "I felt much more comfortable today," Mayo said. "I know my teammates more, and I was better rested. But I can still play much better."

    That is a scary thought, because Mayo was dominant in the second half. He also got the best of Michael Jordan's son Jeffrey, a 6-1 guard who plays for the Rising Stars. The two had met only one time previously, a game won by Mayo two years ago.

    "He {Jeffrey Jordan} told me he had been waiting for this game for two years," Mayo said. "I said, "C'mon, let's play."

    That is exactly what Colon did. The 6-10, 260-pound center from Puerto Rico scored the Tropics' first 10 points and finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

    The performance was especially important for Colon, a senior who will sign with a college to be determined in the next couple of weeks. Among the schools interested are U-Conn, Kansas State, U-Mass and Purdue.

    And with Saturday being the first day this summer that college scouts can evaluate talent, Colon's timing was perfect.

    "I hope the colleges liked what they saw and that they come and recruit me," Colon said. "I was happy that we won and I put up some numbers."

    Asprilla was also pleased after his second consecutive double-double. He had 14 points and 12 rebounds on Friday night and 14 and 14 on Saturday morning.

    His best play came in the low post, where he flipped the ball behind his head to Colon, who was open under the basket for a layup.

    "I saw him there out of the corner of my eye," said Asprilla, a 6-9, 248-pound junior from Colombia.

    As pretty as that pass was, the play of the day belonged to guards Javi Gonzalez and Mayo. Gonzalez, a junior from Miami Krop, grabbed a long rebound, eluded a defender with a slick dribble and came charging down the left side.

    Just before he went up for a layup, he saw Mayo streaking down the right lane. Gonzalez flipped a lob back to Mayo, who caught the ball with his right hand and dunked it all in one motion.

    "That," one fan was heard to say, " was nasty."

    And that is exactly what the Tropics have become so far in the Kingwood, taking on the best teams in the nation and beating them.
    </div>


    <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">HOUSTON - Everything is bigger in Texas - even the comebacks.

    The Miami Tropics, who trailed by 15 points with 3:44 to play in an elimination game Saturday, rallied to win in double overtime. The Tropics then won again late Saturday night to advance to the Kingwood Classic's Sweet 16.

    "Four down, and four to go," said Tropics Coach Art Alvarez, whose team needs to win four straight games on Sunday to earn the title. "It is an extremely tough tournament to win because it is so big and there are a lot of great teams. But we are halfway there."

    The Tropics can thank O.J. Mayo for that. The 6-5 phenom scored 31 points and added 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals as the Tropics stunned the Long Island (N.Y.) Lightning 62-56 in double OT.

    After a 90-minute rest, the Tropics came back to stuff the Smyrna (Ga.) Stars 75-62. Mayo again led the Tropics with 23 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals.

    But the big story was the comeback against Long Island, when Mayo put the Tropics on his back and had his best game of the tournament.

    "I never doubted we could come back," Mayo said. "I knew it wasn't over."

    It was close to being over, though. Long Island led 48-33 before the Tropics started to show signs of life. The Tropics' once-faint heartbeat could be heard loud and clear when Mayo hit a corner jumper to cut Long Island's lead to 50-44 with 1:22 left.

    Tropics guard Gaby Belardo hit a pair of free throws to creep closer. Belardo was then fouled on a three-point shot, and he made 2 of 3 free throws. Finally, a Belardo steal led to Mayo's runner to tie the score at 50 with 30 seconds left.

    Just when it looked like Long Island would get a chance to run the clock down and possibly make a game-winning shot, reserve guard Marlon Rivera stepped up. Rivera, a sophomore who started at point guard for state champion Calusa Prep, stole the inbounds pass.

    Mayo then missed a jumper, but center Freddy Asprilla got the rebound and was fouled with 3 seconds left. But the game went to overtime after Asprilla's first free throw rimmed out and his second missed off the back rim.

    In the first two-minute overtime, Mayo scored all four of the Tropics points. But after the refs called a charge on Mayo, Long Island had another opportunity to win This time, Belardo stole the ball and raced downcourt for what would have been the game-winning layup. However, a slight mishandle by Belardo wasted a second and the buzzer sounded before he could shoot.

    Mayo took over again in the second overtime. He penetrated and dished to Asprilla for a dunk. Mayo followed that with a jumper.

    Then game the game's most important sequence. Leading 58-56, Belardo missed a baseline layup with 8.1 seconds left. Long Island grabbed the rebound with a chance to tie and called timeout.

    Just one problem: Long Island was out of timeouts, which resulted in a technical foul. Mayo made both free throws to clinch the win.

    "That was an incredilby exciting game," Alvarez said. "And a number of high-profile coaches {such as Lute Olson of Arizona and Billy Donovan of NCAA champ Florida} were there to watch."

    Besides the superstar Mayo - the Tropics are 4-0 with him on their side - several players made contributions. Asprilla had 8 points, 5 blocks and 9 rebounds. Belardo had 8 points and 2 steals. Guard Javi Gonzalez had 7 points and 3 steals. Luis Colon had 5 points and 6 rebounds. And Ray Waters added 3 points and 4 rebounds.

    But the unsung hero was Rivera, who has not played much this tournament but stil came through when called upon.

    "I'm very proud of the entire team," Alvarez said. "Obviously, O.J. is a great player. But I also love the way Marlon stepped up at the end."

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    TROPICS BEAT SMYRNA

    The late game was a lot easier for the Tropics, who got off to an 11-0 start and led by as as many 16 points early in the second half. Smyrna never got closer than 9 points after that.

    Besides Mayo, Gonzalez had a big game with 20 points, include 4 three-pointers, and 2 steals.

    Colon had 14 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists. And Asprilla added 11 points, 14 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block.

    Now the Tropics are one of the final 16 left standing from a total of 253 17-and-under teams that started the tournament on Friday.

    Four down, four to go.

    </div>
     
  2. Mr.Spectacular

    Mr.Spectacular JBB JustBBall Member

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    Man that guy is good. But about that Kingwood Classic Tourney, is it always in Houston? I live dow here, and havent even heard of it yet lol.
     
  3. SP23

    SP23 DA BEARS!

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    So he's not playing on an AAU team with Bill Walker and other teammates?
     
  4. ICE21215

    ICE21215 JBB JustBBall Member

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    I went to school with Mayo back when he went to Rose Hill from 6th to 8th grade. He was amazing then averageing 20+ per game as an 8th grader and leading the team to the State tournament in Kentucky for it's first time. I am now an 8th grader playing varsity and it is tough, he was an extraordinary player then and now he is great, if he doesn't screw it up. Me and Mayo were pretty good friends, haven't seen him in a few months though, but he should be back in to visit soon. But watch out for these names from Rose Hill in the upcoming years: Dakotah Euton, Chad Jackson, Kyle Bair, and myself Mike Davis. We are all 8th graders.
     
  5. SP23

    SP23 DA BEARS!

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    <div class="quote_poster">Quoting ICE21215:</div><div class="quote_post">I went to school with Mayo back when he went to Rose Hill from 6th to 8th grade. He was amazing then averageing 20+ per game as an 8th grader and leading the team to the State tournament in Kentucky for it's first time. I am now an 8th grader playing varsity and it is tough, he was an extraordinary player then and now he is great, if he doesn't screw it up. Me and Mayo were pretty good friends, haven't seen him in a few months though, but he should be back in to visit soon. But watch out for these names from Rose Hill in the upcoming years: Dakotah Euton, Chad Jackson, Kyle Bair, and myself Mike Davis. We are all 8th graders.</div>
    He plays for D-1 Greyhounds, right? The game is on right now. BTW Ice, you play for your hs varsity team as in 8th grader? Does the team suck or something?
     
  6. ICE21215

    ICE21215 JBB JustBBall Member

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    haha. The team sucking, no. We were good for such a young team. We only had 2 seniors and no juniors and 3 sophomores. So we were down a lil. We have been down ever since Mayo left. But we are on the rise and have an awesome group of 6th,7th,8th, and 9th graders.
     
  7. SP23

    SP23 DA BEARS!

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    I read on DraftExpress that Mayo didn't get accepted into Oak Hill because of his supsension from his old school for a fight.
     
  8. SP23

    SP23 DA BEARS!

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  9. playmaker15

    playmaker15 JBB Droppin Dimes

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    Well Oak Hill just passed up the enxt big thing. Maybe he'll go to South Kent Prep where Dorrell Wright came out of. Frank Haith recruit this guy to Miami please!!!!!
     
  10. ICE21215

    ICE21215 JBB JustBBall Member

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    There is a small article in this weeks Sports Illustrated about Mayo and him not going to Oak Hill.
     
  11. MrBigShot_23

    MrBigShot_23 BBW Member

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    All these stuck up highly recruited players always switching...whatever happened to team pride
     
  12. TruePG11

    TruePG11 JBB JustBBall Member

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    I really dislike Mayo, did anyone see him throw the ball into the stands after a his last dunk? What a jerk.
     
  13. Pgballer17

    Pgballer17 JBB JustBBall Member

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    Yeah, he seems kind of cocky.
     

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