Class 5A East Area Stars
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A TPS night in Owasso produced one of the games of the year between Edison and Booker T Washington. With Tulsa Memorial leaning on juniors to battle their way one step closer to another State Tournament appearance. Jermiah Johnson OK…
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Continue ReadingA TPS night in Owasso produced one of the games of the year between Edison and Booker T Washington. With Tulsa Memorial leaning on juniors to battle their way one step closer to another State Tournament appearance.
Strong, physical and bouncy. Johnson made his presence felt on both ends of the court, all night. He was a key part in staying tall and using verticality to make life difficult on Booker T Washington’s usual stellar rim finishing. The senior also closed out the first half with an impressive chase down block in transition. While he hit enough from distance to keep the defense honest, it was Johnson consistently crashing the glass and slashing inside like a running back that powered his offensive production. An impressive aspect of his performance was his great conditioning, as in overtime he was still playing with fresh legs. As evident by a time he blew past the Hornets defense on an extended post up, and slipped by two defenders at the rim for an impressive score. The defensive instincts, athleticism and passion Johnson showed is a big reason why his Eagles are headed to Norman next week.
Highlights
The second part of the senior duo that made the Eagles soar, this is Miller’s first year in Oklahoma after previously being in Missouri. He’s an unique prospect because while he has some guard skills, he’s a big bodied player with a huge wingpan which allows him to play big around the hoop at the high school level. Miller seems to lean into doing the dirty work around the hoop with the way he blocks and alter shots, while even breaking out a sky hook like post score at one point in the second half. Along with the post ups, his strong frame allows him to be a good finisher through contact, with “grown man” moves on drives.
Booker T Washington’s floor general was their player in the close defeat. He’s a bowling ball like driver, which shows in the way he muscles through defenders on drives. But he can also be patient and play off two feet when driving into crowds, with the ability to get defenders to bit on ball fakes, then go up for scores. Harris’ strong frame allows him to control the pace and tempo on drives, giving him a calm presence even in the middle of an up tempo chaotic game.
Donald Jackson
Donald Jackson
One of the biggest keys to beating the Hornets is handling their pressure, and the quick, shifty junior point guard helped his Eagles do just that. Many guards easily get turned and have their movements dictated by pressure defense, not Jackson. His handle and other worldy quickness had him controlling the game when dissecting the pressure. More than just a shifty ball handler, he hit big shots from all over on his way to 20 points in the overtime win.
The sophomore opened the game with a slam, then was a key part of Booker T Washington’s fourth quarter flurry to force overtime. With ice in his veins he drilled back to back three points that cut into Edison’s lead. Then gave up his body by taking a charge on the other end of the court. Matulis has made huge strides this year in first extended varsity action. Right now he’s turning into a quality “3 and D” prospect, but there’s upside to be more of a complete two guard.
One of the more intriguing prospects in Oklahoma’s freshman class, Rhodes Jr was plagued by foul trouble in the up tempo game. But his moments on the court were memorable as the wing-forward prospect shot it well from distance. He was the beneficiary of drives from Johnson and Jackson, making the defense pay for helping off of him. Another promising long term sign came with how his movements are becoming more agile and it looks like the forward has the athletic traits to eventually turn into a full perimeter prospect.
Johnson is a taller, long armed wing prospect who seems to be coming into his own at the right time for the Chargers. He continues to be an interesting prospect with the way he can eat up ground on drives with his long legs, while also slipping by defenders. But on the night he was not limited to being a scorer first player. The junior made fantastic, quick thinking passes to teammates on drives. On the night, he filled the stat sheet with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. The future looks bright for Memorial with a strong 2025 class, but if Johnson can continue to grow the future could also be now as they’re one game from a State Tournament appearance.
Another game, another double double for Cotton. The long armed forward prospect continues to embrace his role as the garbage man around the rim, with high level rebounding on both ends of the court. What makes him so effective as a rebounder on the offensive end is he combination of a long wingspan and a quality second jump. Both traits that will suit him well at the next level, allowing him to compete against bigger prospects.
Jarrell Colbert Jarrell Colbert 6'2" | PG Tulsa Memorial HighSchool | 2025 OK
Jarrell Colbert Jarrell Colbert 6'2" | PG Tulsa Memorial HighSchool | 2025 OK
The high scorer on the night for the Chargers, Colbert went for 23 points. Much of that production came on strong finishing around the rim, while he also went 7-8 from the charity stripe. The strongly built guard prospect followed the lead of his taller junior teammates, and relentlessly attacked the rim in transition and in the half court.