George Jr. set for Oak Hill

The two teams square off at YSU's Beeghly Center Saturday night.
By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- Beeghly Center holds special meaning for George Junior Republic. It was there that the boys basketball program produced its most satisfying moment.
"Without question," coach Bob McConnell confirmed.
The Tigers set aside the allure of a nationally-ranked power and stunned Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary -- with LeBron James -- in overtime last season.
Growing confidence
"We didn't want to lose by more than 20," said George Junior athletic director Pat Devine, respecting the two-time defending state champion Irish. "Then we realized, 'Hey, we can play with these guys.' "
The result was a 58-57 heart-pounding victory in front of 6,700 fans at Youngstown State.
"But that's old news," McConnell said. "We have a totally different team."
Faced with another challenge.
George Junior (0-4) will play perennial national power Oak Hill Academy, ranked No. 1 by USA Today, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Beeghly Center.
Farrell and Franklin will open the doubleheader at 6 p.m.
"It's a great town to play basketball in," McConnell said. "Any time we're over there [in the Mahoning Valley], there have been fabulous crowds. We felt the crowd in Youngstown would love the opportunity to see Oak Hill Academy."
Basketball dynasty
Oak Hill, located in Mouth of Wilson, Va., has put up some uncanny numbers. The Warriors are 126-3 over the past four seasons and 6-0 this season.
"It's the No. 1 team in the country at YSU," McConnell said. "[Oak Hill] hasn't been anywhere close to this area since '91 when they played Farrell. Hopefully the fans will come out."
Coached by Steve Smith, Oak Hill is making a trek through the region. The Warriors play SVSM on ESPN2 tonight at the Cleveland State Convocation Center before Saturday's game in Youngstown.
Oak Hill has Division I college recruits in forward Ivan Harris (Ohio State), a Springfield, Ohio, native, and Marcus Williams (Connecticut). Jarvelle Scott and Dion Dacons also contribute to the Warriors' balanced attack.
"They're not quite as big as they've been in the past, but for the high school level, they're still big," McConnell said. "We just want to slow the tempo and at the same time let the kids have fun."
On the move
A residential treatment facility in Grove City, Pa., George Junior is continuously moving youth on and off campus. The athletic programs aren't able to predict the type of teams they will have from one year to the next.
"There aren't too many programs that don't start over with JV kids," Devine said. "But the rest of the world is not feeling too sorry for us."
This year, the Tigers only have two returning players -- junior Tyrae Denmark and senior James Bates -- off the 2001-02 team.
The 6-foot-3 Denmark and 5-10 sophomore point guard Sherrad Bennard average around 15 points per game, McConnell said, while junior Cedric Graham (6-6) averages nine points and nine rebounds.
George Junior's coaching staff has an area flavor, with former Ursuline coach Brian Danilov, former Springfield player Mark Metzka and Campbell's Derryck VanCobb as assistants.
Tickets are available at the participating schools or at Beeghly Center on Saturday for $6, $8 and $10 reserved seating.
richesson@vindy.com