AKRON, Ohio -- In each of the last two seasons, St. Vincent-St. Mary has left the state tournament without a championship. A core of young talent might be able to push the Irish over the hump this season.
On paper, the Irish look like they might be worse. Jalen Hudson graduated and VJ King might transfer (see below). Those players were the team's leading scorers last year.
The difference makers could be Henry Baddley and Jayvon Graves, two players who will likely be asked to assume bigger roles this season.
Baddley, a rising junior who picked up offer from Toledo and Kent State last week, started several games last season for the Irish and the 6-foot-6 wing is looking to be more consistent next year.
"I think I can be more a scorer this year, and I feel like we can win this year," Baddley said.
Graves, a rising sophomore, played about seven minutes per game for the Irish last season, but despite that has been gaining interest from college coaches. The 6-foot-1 point guard took a visit to Michigan State in June.
As a sophomore, he wants to contribute more to the Irish.
"I just want to be an elite point guard and get better at everything," Graves said.
Graves says he's close with Baddley and the two of them are ready to make the team better next season. He added that it's practicing against Hudson, King and Josh Williams, an Akron commit, which has prepared him for this season.
"I learned to compete hard, and they showed leadership for us," Graves said.
Rumors swirling of possible VJ King transfer
Omari Spellman and Craig Randall have already transferred out of Ohio, and last week it looked like St. Vincent-St. Mary guard VJ King, who is ranked No. 18 in the Class of 2016 by ESPN, would be joining them.
Jeff Erman of InsideMDSports reported that King was transferring to a school in Virginia. Erman later backed off his report and said that King might be headed to Findlay Prep.
Via text message, King's father, Vince, told cleveland.com that his son was still at St. Vincent-St. Mary.
Trio of guards pick up Division I offers
Northeast Ohio basketball continues to catch the eyes of college coaches. On Monday, Garfield Heights guard Frankie Hughes added an offer from Akron. Last week, Tennessee-Martin extended a scholarship offer to Archbishop Hoban guard Anthony Christian.
Last week, Kent State offered Warrensville Heights guard Yavari Hall a scholarship.
Evaluation period looms at LeBron James Skills Academy
For three five-day stretches in July, college coaches can watch players compete during the evaluation period. However, no in-person contact with the player, parent or guardian is allowed. The first of those stretches runs from July 9-13.
Many coaches will be watching at the LeBron James Skills Academy in Las Vegas this week. One of the players who will be there is Shaker Heights forward Esa Ahmad, who according to his father Ibby, will be cutting down his list of schools to five or six in about a month.
Also expected to be in attendance are King, Spellman and former Shaker Heights guard Terry Rozier.
Contact high school sports reporter David Cassilo by email (dcassilo@cleveland.com) or Twitter (@dcassilo). Or log in and leave a message in the comments section below.
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