Ohio Prep Star Raises Eyebrows

A basketball prodigy at age 8, when he was dunking on 8 1/2 -foot rims, O.J. Mayo’s fast-forward ride to national attention has him anointed as the next LeBron James, a former Ohio prep star who went from high school to the NBA.

The Cincinnati phenom -- still only a junior, but the top-ranked player nationally in his class -- along with his North College Hill High teammates, are in the Southland to compete in a two-day showcase tonight and Friday at Cerritos College.

Ovington J’Anthony Mayo, who turned 18 on Nov. 5, is said to possess court skills rarely seen in a player his age. Comparisons to James -- they are the only sophomores to be voted Ohio’s state high school player of the year -- have accompanied him since seventh grade, when he started at guard on the varsity team for the first high school he attended in Kentucky.

Others draw similarities between Mayo and a young Kobe Bryant because of his 6-foot-4, 210-pound frame. While Mayo said he’s flattered by the comparisons, he manages to keep them in perspective.

“It’s cool,” said Mayo, who will be eligible for the NBA draft when he graduates from high school. “But I really just try and focus on bettering my skills. I’m not worried about the individual attention.”

North College Hill, ranked No. 5 in the nation by USA Today, is scheduled to play tonight against North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake, ranked No. 9 in the Southland by The Times and led by 6-10 Alex Stepheson, who has signed with North Carolina.

Mayo and the Trojans (6-0) will face an even bigger challenge Friday night against Compton Dominguez, traditionally one of the better defensive units in the Southland.

The Dons, led by 6-5 senior guard Patrick Christopher and the top-ranked sophomore in the country, 6-1 guard Brandon Jennings, are ranked No. 5 in the Southland by The Times.

Both games begin at 8:30 p.m.

Bryant, who scored a career-high 62 points Tuesday in the Lakers’ 112-90 victory over Dallas, bettering the league’s previous season high of 52 set earlier this month by James, is familiar with Mayo’s accomplishments.

“I’ve never seen him play,” Bryant said. “I’ve heard great things about him though.”

Andrew Bynum, like Laker teammates Bryant and Kwame Brown, also went to the NBA out of high school. Bynum, who just turned 18, said the transition can be awkward.

“Don’t get discouraged if you’re not the big thing anymore,” Bynum said. “That’s one of the biggest things to handle.”

Mayo, who is averaging 36 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and five steals, is joined on the North College Hill roster by forward Bill Walker, the No. 2 junior prospect in the country, behind Mayo. Walker, 6-5 and 210 pounds, is also 18.

“We have a lot of good players,” Mayo said. “We have a chip on our shoulders.”

Reared in Huntington, W.Va.-- as was Walker -- Mayo developed his skills against older boys in his neighborhood, which was tucked up against the Ohio River. Playing on the AAU circuit when he was 10, his team won more than 200 games in a row during one stretch.

In sixth grade, he began attending Ashland (Ky.) Rose Hill Christian, a school of fewer than 100 students about 15 miles from Huntington. Because Kentucky allows players as young as seventh-graders to participate in high school athletics, Mayo averaged 23.1 points his first season on varsity. As a mustachioed eighth-grader, he averaged 20.5 points and led Rose Hill to its first state tournament appearance.

Though he had yet to reach his freshman year, he was already considered the most popular high school basketball player in Kentucky.

“I’ve always had the drive to be better than others,” he said.

Toward the end of his eighth-grade year, Mayo drew national attention when he again moved across state lines, this time settling with his AAU coach and grandfather, Dwaine Barnes, in Cincinnati, which is about 140 miles up the Ohio River from Ashland.

Mayo enrolled at North College Hill, a school eight times the size of Rose Hill, but small by Southern California standards. Area residents who had not attended games in years were suddenly filling gymnasiums to watch him play.

Mayo averaged 31 points his first season, when he won the city scoring title and broke the school’s season record for points. Just as impressive, he helped the Trojans finish 21-1 after a 2-18 record the previous season.

As a sophomore, he averaged 28.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.7 assists and led North College Hill to the state’s Division III championship. He was selected Mr. Ohio Basketball.

Mayo’s parents are divorced, but his mother, Alisha, and his six younger brothers and sisters live in South Point, Ohio, a town between Huntington and Ashland.

Mayo and Walker returned to Huntington for a game this season, beating Wellston (Ohio), 138-34.

Rodney Guillory, who set up the Rise or Fall Basketball Invitational at Cerritos College, said he began trying to secure Mayo’s appearance right after his freshman year.

“I think this is good for everybody,” Guillory said.

High school games in Ohio are played without a shot clock.

“We’re used to playing defense for two minutes,” Mayo said. “Only playing defense for 35 seconds, that will be an advantage for us.”

It seems the quicker North College Hill gets the ball in Mayo’s hand, the better.

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General admission for tonight’s game can be purchased at Cerritos College for $7. Limited floor seating will be available for $15.

The North College Hill-Dominguez game will be the third played Friday. Lakewood Artesia, ranked No. 3 by The Times and No. 18 nationally by USA Today, will play No. 11 Pasadena, ranked No. 11 by The Times, at 5 p.m., followed by Compton Centennial, ranked No. 6 by The Times and No. 8 regionally by USA Today, taking on Long Beach Poly, ranked No. 13 by The Times, at 7 p.m.

General admission tickets are $10 and floor seats are $25 and are good for all games Friday.