PG/SG O.J. Mayo (Official Thread)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Cincy

4/7/06

Mayo still aims to improve

BY TOM GROESCHEN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

<!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT-->O.J. Mayo pretty much has proved he is a great high school basketball player. But with one season left in his North College Hill career, Mayo insists there is still work to be done.

The junior guard again is the Enquirer/Channel 9 boys' Player of the Year, heading the annual all-area teams for Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.

Mayo was from a field that included NCH teammate Bill Walker, Cincinnati Division I player of the year James Dews (Lakota East) and Northern Kentucky player of the year Jeff Vories (Highlands).

Mayo, a 6-foot-5 guard/forward, averaged 28.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.3 steals a game this season. He repeated as Ohio Mr. Basketball and led NCH (26-1) to its second consecutive Division III state title and a No. 3 finish in the USA Today national poll.

"A lot of people say, how can I possibly get better?" Mayo said. "I'd like to show that I'm an all-around player, and I think I've always done that. I'm a competitor. Whatever I have to do to win, whether it's taking a charge, picking up a loose ball, scoring 30 points or getting 10 rebounds, it doesn't matter."

With 2,033 career points at NCH and a slew of awards, including USA Today and Parade All-America honors over the past two years, there seemingly is little else Mayo can do at this level. About all that's left is deciding where he will go to college.

"We've still got our final summer circuit and then another year of high school ball," Mayo said.

NCH coach Jamie Mahaffey said Mayo has evolved into more of a floor leader. Mayo has had to carry less of a load each season as NCH's talent has improved.

"O.J. was more sound this year as far as being a general on the floor and getting other people involved," Mahaffey said. "Defensively, he also played a lot better."

Mayo is rated the No. 1 junior nationally by many scouting services,
including Scout .com (Dave Telep) and Hoop Scoop (Clark Francis).

Mayo generally plays his best when the stakes are high. He scored 43 points in NCH's only loss, 88-74 to Oak Hill Academy (Va.), when Oak Hill and NCH were rated Nos. 1-2 by USA Today.

Mayo had 34 points in the state title game, a 90-73 win over Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph, after being suspended for the state semifinals for missing some classes.

E-mail tgroeschen@enquirer .com
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

In a huge suprise, Mayo has decided to play in Houston this weekend but not with his usual AAU team, he will suit up for NIKE sponsored Miami Tropics just for the first day and possibly the whole tournament. Interesting that recent Kansas St. verbal Jason Bennett plays for this team...another hint where Mayo may be headed after high school.

[CleveBucks]

Let's be thankful Coach Matta never gave this kid serious thought. Seems like a match made in Heaven for Huggins.

OJ Mayo Suspended For 180 Days

LAST UPDATE: 4/24/2006 6:41:01 PM

North College Hill basketball star, OJ Mayo, has been suspended for 180 days, a school board member confirms to Local 12. The suspension follows an alleged confrontation with a female student last week. The six-foot-five junior won The Associated Press state Mister Basketball award for the second straight year.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Well, I think their is a distinct possiblity that Mayo will transfer to Oak Hill sometime this summer.....this suspension could be the reason.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Cincy

4/26/06

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=910 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width=585><!--BEGIN: STORY--><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=storytext vAlign=top><!-- ARTICLE HEADLINE -->Suspended Mayo misses party

Walker says star was in fight

BY TOM GROESCHEN AND DUSTIN DOW | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITERS
<!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT-->North College Hill threw a party for its Division III state title-winning basketball team Tuesday night, but star player O.J. Mayo, one of the best high school basketball players in the country, did not attend.

According to Bill Walker, a member of the North College Hill team, Mayo has been suspended from school as a result of getting into a fight.

The suspension was confirmed by two NCH sources and a member of the NCH school board.

The sources would not say whether the length of Mayo's suspension has been established. A local TV station reported Monday that Mayo had been suspended for 180 days. That figure, the sources said, is not accurate.

Walker also said the 180-day figure is incorrect.

"He (Mayo) got into a fight and got suspended for 10 days," Walker said. "It wasn't 180 days. I don't know where that came from."

NCH superintendent Gary Gellert and principal Kelly Hughes both said the school cannot comment on student disciplinary matters.

Gellert, Hughes and several other school officials, including athletic director Joe Nickel and head coach Jamie Mahaffey, repeatedly have declined to answer questions about Mayo.

Walker said he expected Mayo back in school before the end of the school year.
As for next season, Mayo is considering a transfer to Oak Hill Academy (Va.). Oak Hill officials are aware of his suspension at NCH and indicated it could impact whether Mayo might be accepted to Oak Hill.

Walker, a junior whose eligibility for next season is under review by the Ohio High School Athletic Association, also stayed away from Tuesday night's celebration.
Nickel would not comment on Mayo, but said Walker stayed home Tuesday night after a reporter had interviewed Walker at school earlier.

"Bill did not come tonight because he knew there would be reporters here, and he said he's tired of dealing with the media," Nickel said.

Tuesday's event, held in the NCH gymnasium, was attended by about 150 NCH fans and was hosted by North College Hill mayor Dan Brooks.

"I don't know the details, but I know (Mayo) is suspended," Brooks said, just before the rally began. "I think there is a lot of misinformation out there about what is going on, but tonight we're here to celebrate the team."

And celebrate they did. Ten NCH players took the basketball court Tuesday night to cheers from the crowd. Chairs were arranged on the basketball court for the players and coaches and cheerleaders. Brooks and NCH City Council members also were seated at chairs on the court.

Several awards and trophies were presented, and the Trojans' 2006 state title trophy - won last month - had a place of honor on a table at midcourt. Brooks and council also passed an ordinance that renamed Kumler Avenue - which runs off Galbraith Road to the high school - as "Trojan Way."

Brooks also referred to the intense media scrutiny NCH's team has received.

The Trojans finished No. 3 nationally in the USA Today poll but are under a national media microscope, with a season of injuries, illnesses and transfer rumors.

"You shouldn't apologize for being good," Brooks said, addressing NCH players as the crowd listened Tuesday. "Be proud of it ... I'm proud of you, and the North College Hill is proud of you."

Mayo and Walker were not the only players who did not show. Starting point guard Damon Butler (ill) and regular forward Andre Evans also were not there, although Evans' mother accepted some awards for her son.

Paul Leary, a senior forward, said the scene was a bit odd without junior superstars Mayo and Walker.

"It's strange that O.J. isn't here," Leary said. "He's always at the big events, right in the middle of things. I don't know what's going on."

Mayo this season won his second consecutive Ohio Mr. Basketball award. He has averaged between 27 and 30 points each of his three seasons at NCH, and is widely rated the No. 1 high school junior player in America.

Walker is generally rated among the top five juniors by most scouts, and this year he averaged 21.7 points while sharing Ohio Division III Player of the Year honors with Mayo. Mayo this year also repeated as a first-team USA Today All-American.
E-mail tgroeschen@enquirer.com, ddow@enquirer.com
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Cincy

4/28/06

Mayo rejoins AAU team
Will play with Greyhounds in Akron tourney

BY DUSTIN DOW | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

<!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT-->For North College Hill basketball standout O.J. Mayo, life should regain some normalcy this weekend - at least as much normalcy as there can be for a player rated the top high school junior in the country by many Web sites.

At 7:20 p.m. today, Mayo is expected to rejoin the D-I Greyhounds AAU team in Akron for a basketball tournament game that will feature the top three ranked players in the nation in the class of 2007.

Just last weekend, Mayo caused commotion on the summer basketball circuit when he briefly parted with the locally based Greyhounds, a Reebok-funded team, to play for the Nike-sponsored Miami Tropics in a tournament in Houston. He also visited Oak Hill (Va.) Academy, where he is considering transferring for next season. Speculation about Mayo's future increased earlier this week when news leaked that he had been suspended from NCH for fighting.

"All O.J. did was play for another team last weekend," said Sonny Vaccaro, Reebok's director of grassroots basketball and a confidant of Mayo's. "People are getting too worked up about it. It was just one tournament in April."

Tonight though, Mayo and NCH teammate Bill Walker, the No. 2 player in the class of 2007 in Rivals.com's rankings, are expected to lead the Greyhounds against DC Assault in the King James Shooting Stars Classic.

The Assault feature Michael Beasley, the third-ranked player in the junior class by Rivals.com.

Tournament director Dru Joyce was glad to see Mayo resume playing with the Greyhounds because the Tropics aren't playing in Akron this weekend.

"O.J., he's one of the most highly recognized players in the country," Joyce said. "People are attracted to him. They want to see him play, and the best teams want to play against him."

In Houston, Mayo publicly said he would rejoin the Greyhounds this weekend.

"I could see him coming back with us and playing in the Peach Jam in July," said Tropics coach Art Alvarez. "... He wants to play in the better tournaments, and that's one of the best. "