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Olukemi emerges at Flyin to the Hoop

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the Flyin' to the Hoop Invitational was Stoneridge Prep wing J.P. Olukemi. The 6-foot-6 junior from California used the national stage to put his name on the same high-major radar that so many of his teammates are already on.
Olukemi, an Orange County native, scored 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a difficult one point loss to Boys to Men Academy. He was perfect from the floor against Christian Life Center despite a shot to the face that kept him out of half of the game. In Stoneridge's final game, he was the defensive force and worked the glass in an ugly 38-37 win over Hamilton (Ohio) High School.
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A relative unknown prior to the event, the confident wing said he feels like this is his time to step up his game and put his name, and game, on the map.
"I think this is my year to breakout," Olukemi said.
The versatile wing is good with the ball, not a bad shooter, a quality passer and is certainly athletic. But there is still more to be done.
"All I want to do is get better. I don't feel like I'm playing up to my potential," Olukemi said. "I want to do the things that need to be done on the court."
Off the court, he said he is doing what he needs to do as well.
"I'm straight academically. My mom is all over me about my grades," he said. "She's not going to let me do anything worse than a B."
According to the three-star prospect, he is already hearing from Nebraska, Washington and Colorado but made it a point that he was open and far from a decision.
Olukemi did enough to earn more looks and more offers. That shouldn't come as a surprise to those that saw him last week in Dayton.
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