Grassroots Team Preview: Ohio Warrior Pro Bound 17U

In 2008, current Syracuse wing Matthew Moyer and his family were in search of an AAU program that fit their faith-based belief system. They couldn’t find anything of the sort. It was at that time that Annette Moyer, Matthew’s mother, held a meeting at McDonald’s. “So, Dave Spiller trained Matthew back then. Dave Spiller, he was the coach at Ohio State years ago and he was the head coach at Fordham University. I mean, he’s retired now. We sat down with him, Dantez Walton’s mom, who’s at Northern Kentucky now. The three of us sat down at McDonald’s and we started the Warriors together,” Moyer recalled. The Ohio Warrior Pro Bound (formerly known as the VCC Ohio Warriors) program has since developed numerous college athletes. And while scholarships remain their objective, faith and family aren’t far behind on the priority list. “We didn’t like the options that were out there. We wanted something with a faith-based. There was nothing like that in Ohio at the time — I don’t know what’s out there now, this was obviously a long time ago — and, you know, we wanted something where it was bigger than basketball,” Moyer said. “AAU, at this level, it’s your entire childhood. So you don’t want to wake up one day and you didn’t have a childhood,” Moyer said. The perspective that Moyer, the Director of Operations, laid out during the interview is reflected in the effort these Warriors moms put forth in promoting their players. Their website, partnership with Adidas, and non-basketball activities, all come from a place of genuine care. As a result, this class of 2018 group is a scary one to matchup with.

Coach: Renny Tyson Jr.

Roster: Tyjaun Childers, 6’8” F, Whitehall

Justin Curtis, 6’4” G, Walnut Ridge

Gary Elder, 6’2” G, Centennial

Juan Elmore, 6’4” F/W, Pickerington Central

Adrian Nelson, 6’6” G/W, Pickerington Central

BJ Patrick, 6’1” PG, Mansfield

Solomon Pierre-Louis, 6’4” G, The Wellington School

Guy Schmidt, 5’11” PG, The Wellington School

Noah Tomlinson, 6’6” F, Grove City Christian

Rayshon Walker, 5’11” G, Whetstone

Antonio Watson, 5’11” G, New Albany

Notes: Plenty of Division I talent on this roster. Nelson, Curtis, Childers, and Pierre-Louis are surefire Division I talents if they find the right fit. Nearly every other player on the roster is knocking on that door. As Moyer explained, there’s also some undervalued talent here to be excited about. “Juan Elmore, extremely tough, gritty. He’s a glue player. Truly, I think he’s so underrated … If Juan could dunk, I think he’d have at least four Division I offers right now. When that part of his game, the in-game dunking develops, then maybe there wont be anymore ‘under the radar’,” Moyer said. “Guy is one of those kids, he’s our point guard, I think he’s always going to be under the radar. Because he’s a classic point guard, he’s pass-first. His strength is passing, he has vision that’s ridiculous ... You just have to watch him play.” Another interesting prospect to watch on this team is their other point guard, BJ Patrick. As Moyer explained, the newcomer doesn’t benefit from the exposure of their Columbus-based players. “I had never actually heard of him. He was referred to us and our head coach went and looked at him. He called me at halftime and he was like, I don’t need to see any more of him, the kid’s phenomenal,” Moyer said. The Ohio Warrior Pro Bound team is well-rounded. Athletic, slashing wings Curtis, Nelson and Pierre-Louis, are surrounded by guys like Watson, Elder, and Schmidt, that can spread the floor. Then they have Elmore, who is one of the most selfless players in Ohio and is accustomed to sharing the floor with stars. Then, they have college-level size around the basket with Childers and Tomlinson. All around, these seniors-to-be will play a beautiful brand of basketball. For scouts interested in watching any of these players, they will be on the Adidas Uprising Circuit.