King James: day one

AKRON, Ohio - The King James Shooting Stars Classic is always one of the biggest events of the AAU season, and this year it got kicked off with some solid performances. Leading the way was a pair of youngsters from the state of Wisconsin as well as an impressive performance from a player in the nation's capital.

Young duo came to play

Memorial High School in Madison, Wisconsin is simply loaded. Not only did they feature Jeronne Maymon and Vander Blue, but a pair of young kids from the same high school emerge in a big way on Friday night.

The first player was Junior Lomomba. Lomomba is a 6-foot-4 wing player who can shoot it from deep as well as get to the rim. Beyond that he is a high-major athlete who can play well above the rim. For a freshman he is very advanced, and showed off every offensive facet that he could. He simply needs to get stronger and more polished, but he made a great first impression at the 17 and under level.

Along with Lomomba was Jamar Morris. Like Lomomba, Morris is an athletic wing who likes to get to the rim. Morris however is much more physical at 6-foot-5 and 185 pounds. At the moment Morris only goes left, and hardly ever uses his right hand, but with his strength and savvy, he gets to the rim and finishes. Also he has a solid mid-range game, that looks like it could extend to the three point line in time.

Both freshman suit up for the Wisconsin Gators Elite, and put on a show on day one.

Other solid performances

Beyond the two young studs for the Wisconsin Gators, they have a big kid in the middle with a lot of upside. 6-foot-9 and 210 pound Silas Mills showed some good skills on Friday night. He hit a three, scored with a hook, and altered shots with his extremely long wing span. As he gets tougher and plays with more strength down low, he could develop into a very intriguing big man in the class of 2009.

In a losing effort for The Family against King James, Michael Talley was excellent. Despite his short stature, Talley can impact the game in numerous ways. He got into the lane at will, shot it, and even rebounded and scored on the offensive end on his way to 18 points.

Team Takeover out of D.C. go the win in large thanks to Michael Gbinije and Victor Oladipo. Gbinije, who is 6-foot-6 and can play on the perimeter was able to score and also defend well for Takeover.

Oladipo had moments in the game where he absolutely took over. He was hitting his outside jump shot with ease, and also converted going to the rim. Without Oladipo Takeover could have been in some trouble, but he always got the big hoop and did a good job of keeping them in the lead the entire way.

School List

Oladipo said he is getting interest from Maryland, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Marquette, Indiana, Pittsburgh, Oklahoma State, USC, LSU, George Mason, Providence, and Massachusetts.