Former North Royalton boys basketball star Omari Spellman delivers on goal of dominating Dunk 4 Diabetes (video)

NORTH CANTON, Ohio – For MacDuffie (Mass.) junior Omari Spellman, the Dunk 4 Diabetes boys basketball showcase at Walsh University over the weekend allowed him the opportunity to compete in the state he starred in for two seasons.

Spellman played at North Royalton, helping the Bears pull off an upset against St. Edward in the playoffs his freshman year, followed by a 20-2 year last season. In wins against Villa Angela-St. Joseph and St. Edward with his new school this weekend, Spellman averaged 15.5 points and 10.5 rebounds.

While getting the victories were the most important things for the power forward, being able to compete against the some of the best players in Ohio was definitely something he looked forward to.

“There are some great players here, guys like Kipper Nichols, Carlton Bragg and Dererk Pardon, those guys can all play,” said Spellman, 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds. “It was a lot of fun to get back here and compete against all of those guys, and it feels good to beat two very good teams.”

Spellman’s coach, Jacque Rivera agreed with his big man, saying his team had to play well to win the games.

“I think both VASJ and St. Edward played tremendous games, and we had to do a lot of things to get the win,” Rivera said. “Our team plays in what I think is the best conference in the country, so our team is battled tested. Especially today against St. Edward, their scouting report was terrific. Omari is a great player and we were able to get two wins, but the fans of Ohio basketball should be very proud of what they have going on here.”

The basketball in Cleveland is as good as it has been in quite some time, and Spellman was a part of the revival the past couple of seasons. While he is now playing in Massachusetts, Omari’s stepfather, Mike Thomas, said he knew this event was something Spellman was definitely looking forward to.

“He really wanted to come here and show what kind of player he is becoming,” Thomas said. “You saw in both games, there were moments when players started talking and stuff like that, but it was great to see because everyone wanted to compete. He wanted to show he was the best, and the other guys were playing hard to show what they have. It was definitely fun to see him back in Ohio competing against those guys.”

While getting the two wins were big for Spellman and his team, Rivera was glad for Spellman to get back and play in Ohio.

“I know it is kind of cliché, but it is kind of like when LeBron came back to Cleveland, on a lower scale of course,” Rivera said. “He is a new kid in our program, but he has worked extremely hard and continues to improve every day. For him, it was great to get back and play against those guys and show them what he is becoming.”

With the wins, MacDuffie moves to 10-7, and will be back in action on Tuesday against Wilbraham & Monson Academy (Mass.). Spellman has college offers from schools such as Kentucky, Cincinnati, Ohio State, Villanova, Arizona and UCLA, as well as a plethora of other schools.

It is back to business for MacDuffie in two days, but for this weekend, being back in Ohio is something Spellman won’t soon forget.

“It was a blast to get back and play here, but we have a lot more to play for this season,” Spellman said. “However, this opportunity is definitely something I am happy to have gotten.”

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