Miami Wants Nike All Ohio Force!
The Nike All Ohio Force (U16) AAU basketball team coached by Gregg Brown is loaded with talent and Miami is interested in the entire team!
Currently Miami will have six scholarships to award to the 2009 incoming class. It may not have to look far to fill those spots as Coach Gregg Brown’s Nike All Ohio Force is loaded with local talent and has been making waves on a national scale. Many Miami fans have already heard of 6'6" combo-forward Bill Edwards Jr. (Middletown H.S.) and 6'8" center Matt Kavanaugh (Centerville H.S.). However, the team is also loaded with many other players who may explode over the summer. The majority of the team have been together since 4th Grade and they’ve been #1 in the State ever since. Coach Brown runs a lot of sets and the team is successful not only because its filled with talented players but also because they have a high basketball IQ and are always looking for the open man.
Recently Edwards, Kavanaugh and 6'2" combo-guard Zach Brown (Mason H.S.) visited Miami along with their parents and came away impressed. “Miami did a great job on the visit” says Nike All Ohio Force Coach Gregg Brown (and father of Zach), “Coach Coles told the group that the three players can make their mark at Miami.” Brown went on to say that although Edwards has been officially offered, neither Matt nor Zach have Miami offers. “Coach Coles wants more time to evaluate both of the players before offering”, Brown added.
Coach Brown took the time to discuss each of his players. He indicates that Edwards currently has offers from Miami, Dayton and U.Mass. “Billy has the most upside of any player in Ohio,” Brown said. However, he was quick to add that “he needs to work on his defense” and needs to give a more consistent effort on the court. However, Coach Brown also said that Edwards is a great kid with a lot of heart. His father is 6'8 and his uncle is 6'9" so Billy has the potential to grow even more.
Other than Miami, Zach is close to receiving offers from Kent and Lipscomb and is receiving interest from Stanford, Northwestern, Davidson and Ball State. Zach is a terrific student with a 4.1 GPA (on a 4.0 scale). In fact, the entire Nike All Ohio Force has a combined GPA of 3.2! Coach Brown was quick to say that the team is loaded with intelligent young men who are all terrific kids. Brown is not only smart, he also has a high basketball IQ. He’s shoots 43% from three-point range and constantly is making good decisions. Zach was only 1 of 3 Sophomores that were named to the All-City team in Cincinnati last season.
Matt Kavanaugh currently has offers from Dayton, Kent State and Wright State. However, schools other than Miami that are close to offering or have been very interested in “Kav” include Purdue, Pittsburgh and West Virginia. Coach Brown says that “Kav” is “strong underneath the basket” but needs to become better at playing above the rim. So far he’s mostly an “under the rim” player. However, he’s still growing and has a lot of potential.
Other players on the Nike All Ohio Force include 6'5" Ryan Siggins (Alter H.S.) who also has a high basketball IQ and shoots the ball very well. Ryan is being recruited by Miami, Kent, Western Carolina and Western Michigan. PF 6'5" Brian Wozniak (Loveland H.S.) had shoulder surgery but also has a high basketball IQ and shoots the ball very well. He has a passion for basketball but may be a better football prospect and Miami is interested. 6'9" 290lb Chris Freeman (Trotwood H.S.) is terrific inside and has a very good left hand. He needs to lose weight and be better at running the court. Rumors abound that Chris is destined to play football but Coach Brown tells me that Chris wants to concentrate on basketball.
There is no question that Coach Brown has assembled a terrific group of young men and there appears to be mutual interest between many of his players and with Miami. Its not out of the question that the 2009 incoming class for Miami could be filled with a number of Nike All Ohio Force players. This weekend, Coach Brown will take his team to Akron and then will move to Louisville on Monday to Eddie Ford’s Kentucky Hoop Fest. Stay tuned for further updates.
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