Hoops & Dreams Showcase Preview: Oak Hill vs Northwood Temple
The final game of the first night will feature Oak Hill Academy vs Northwood Temple, which is a game that not only will be interesting on the court but also due to the relationships between the programs. Northwood Temple Head Coach Corey Baker was a former Oak Hill Academy standout and a top recruit in the country during his time there. While new addition SG Josh Nickelberry is from Fayetteville, NC, he actually spent his 8th grade and 9th grade seasons at Northwood Temple before the resignation of their former head coach.
Key Players to the Game
Without a doubt, the Northwood Temple Eagles are the underdogs in this matchup, Oak Hill is a team that is nationally ranked in the top 5-10 in the country just about every year and they have added some special talent this offseason. Northwood Temple features Top 100 recruit Manny Bates who has offers from some of the top programs in the country, Creighton Signee Ian Steere who is a beast inside the paint. Point Guard John Michael Wright will run the show for the Eagles, Wright has an offer from Hampton University and has picked up interest from numerous MM and HM programs.
Oak Hill will have a loaded team a talent once again with top prospects across the board, Guards Josh Nickelberry & Keldon Johnson are two young men that can score the ball in bunches so don’t be surprised to see them have high scoring games. Inside the paint the Oak Hill squad remains dominant as well as they have picked up B.J Mack but they also bring back top prospect David McCormack who is a player that top programs in the country are courting.
The key for the Eagles will be to get off to a great start and to keep the tempo of the game slow, Oak Hill has the depth to push the tempo of the game while Northwood Temple will have a much shorter bench to work with.