October is upon us and fall is in the air, which can mean only one thing– college basketball is right around the corner. With Memphis Madness scheduled for October 16th, the Tigers’ coaching staff is looking to show off a brand new Tiger team to not only their fans, but also some of the nation’s top recruits. Johnny O’Bryant, one of the country’s best prospects for 2011, has informed Memphis Roar that he will be in town for Memphis Madness. O’Bryant, who is rated number six on ESPN.com’s Super 60 for the class of 2011, is a 6′8” 220 lbs. big-man from Cleveland, Mississippi.
“I am coming to Memphis for Midnight Madness and that’s about it so far,” O’Bryant said when asked if he had any visits planned for this fall.
O’Bryant’s visit confirmation brings the list of verified guests for Memphis Madness up to four, the others being Perry Ellis and brother Will and Antonio Barton. While October 16th will make O’Bryant’s third straight appearance at Memphis Madness, he maintains that he is in no hurry to make his decision.
“I really don’t have a list or nothing,” replied O’Bryant. “I am probably going to wait til my senior year for sure, probably sometime in that fall.”
For now, O’Bryant seems to be focusing on parlaying his success from the summer circuit into a successful season for the Trojans of East Side High School.
“We have been conditioning with the team and waiting for the season to start. We look like a state championship team, so I am ready to play,” said O’Bryant. “I want to win a state championship. I want to be in consideration for the Mississippi player of the year. I want to average a triple-double and help my team really. My school has never won a state championship so I want to help do that.”
ESPN Scouts, Inc. June Evaluation of O’Bryant:
June, 2009: If there is another big in the class of 2011 that plays as hard as O’Bryant, I’ve yet to see him. Although he isn’t as explosive as current Phoenix Sun Amare Stoudemire, O’Bryant approaches the game (at both ends) in the same manner. He plays with a warrior’s mentality in the paint area and is a relentless rebounder. He can explode around the basket and either finish with a power dunk or turn-around jump shot. Despite his power-approach to the game, he does have a soft touch out to the elbow. His shot is somewhat flat, but it does have excellent rotation. In addition, he handed out a couple of nice assists which demonstrated his feel for the game.
Coming off of summer play, where AAU teams play multiple games per day, most times on consecutive days all while traveling all over the country, it would be easy for O’Bryant to get burnt out. The key to O’Bryant’s success is family.
“My family really wants me to be something, so I have to be something for them,” responded O’Bryant as he emphasized the words “have to”.
Continuing, he explained that his mom’s dedication to him has helped shape his dedication on the court.
“My mom has always had to work a job or two all my life to keep me situated, to provide for me. So, for me, it’s not that bad of a thing for me to get to play ball all day to try to help,” explained O’Bryant. “My mom, she’s more like accountability partner. She keeps me in line and will tell me when I am messing up.”
Focused on the court and looking forward to this season, O’Bryant is driven to continually improve.
“I’ve been working hard, trying to get better. I want to make my game like Melo,” O’Bryant said.
It’s not a hard to see that current Tigers’ assistant coach Jack Murphy’s well known relationship with Carmelo Anthony is part of the Memphis intrique for O’Bryant. Murphy, who did advance scouting for the Devner Nuggets, is widely-known as a workout “guru” in NBA circles, organizing rigorous off-season workout programs that hosted Allen Iverson, Kenyon Martin, and Carmelo Anthony.
“I want to be able to play on the perimeter and pull guys out. I want to get out and run,” said O’Bryant. ”Like Melo, drive and dish. Get out on the break. That’s really important.I feel myself getting better at dribbling and shooting. I really want to see the court better.”
O’Bryant was recently named 2009-10 Men’s Developmental National Team, featuring 14 of the nation’s top high school juniors and six of the premiere sophomores, which will reassemble for a fall mini-camp on Oct. 9-11 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
EXTRA:
Q: What’s something about you that most people don’t know?
A: “I eat a lot of Chinese food. We have this place called Little China and they have this stuff called House Fried Rice. When I go to get Chinese food, I’m willing to try every single thing.
Q: You ever had sesame seed chicken for breakfast? (a followup from Kedren Johnson’s interview)
A: Yeah, I woke up a couple times and warmed it up. Yeah, yeah, it’s real good.
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