PREP BASKETBALL: Oak Hill Academy faces another test

Coach Tony Atkins has been searching for a stage to showcase his West Oaks Academy basketball program.

Tonight at Virginia High’s Bearcat Den, the spotlight will be bright as the Orlando, Fla., based team faces the ultimate test in prep basketball.

Oak Hill Academy (33-0) is ranked No. 1 in the USA Today and ESPN national polls and is brimming with NCAA Division I bound athletes.

The West Oaks Flame (19-0) has earned a No. 1 ranking in Florida in some polls and also features a star-laden lineup.

Game time is 8 p.m.

“We’re fairly new on the scene in terms of national notoriety, so this is a great opportunity for our school and kids,” said Atkins in a phone interview. “I think our kids are up for the challenge.”

Oak Hill has long used Bristol as a second home, mastering a variety of teams from across Southwest Virginia and the Southeast with NBA-bound stars such as Jerry Stackhouse, Ron Mercer and Rajon Rondo.

According to VHS athletic director Barry Reed, West Oaks could be the most formidable foe since an overflow crowd watched OHA edge Council 74-65.

The player to watch for West Oaks is Kedar Edwards, a dynamic 6-foot-5 shooting guard. A New York City native and University of South Carolina recruit, Edwards has garnered rave reviews on the national AAU scene.

The other standouts for West Oaks include 6-foot-2 point guard Sheldon Hagigal (Central Florida), 6-foot-10, 220-pound Dembra Konate and 6-foot-6 sophomore Boubacar Moungoro from Mali.

According to Atkins, Konate has earned a scholarship offer from Florida and Moungoro has been projected as the top sophomore in the country by at least one recruiting service. Moungoro earned a scholarship from the Amare Stoudemire Foundation to spend six months at the IMG Basketball Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

Current Temple University forward Anthony Lee played at West Oaks last year.

Atkins said he called Oak Hill coach Steve Smith earlier this year in search of some games in Virginia.

“Coach Smith said he didn’t have any openings at the time but he directed me to Barry Reed and we were able to set this up at Virginia High,” Atkins said. “This is the perfect fit. Coach Smith wanted a good game and we’re going to give it to him. It’s going to be a track meet.”

Oak Hill, which has made several national television appearances this season, is coming off a 77-52 win over No. 40 Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, Fla.) on Wednesday in Beckley, W.Va.

The Bearcat Den regulars will recognize OHA shooting guard will Jordan Adams, a multitalented 6-foot-5 shooting guard who has committed to UCLA.

Tyler Lewis (N.C. State) is the point guard while 6-foot-4 Damien Wilson (Memphis) also works in the backcourt of the perimeter-dominated lineup. The steady 5-foot-11 Lewis supplied eight assists in Wednesday’s victory.

“We’ve had some very tall teams in the past but depth and guard play are the strengths of this team,” said Smith in a phone interview. “We have eight seniors, and they are all Division I players.”

The OHA parade of stars includes 7-foot, 260-pound post A.J. Hammons (Purdue), 6-foot-3 wing D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera (Georgetown), 6-foot-7 Darion Clarke (UNC-Charlotte). Six-foot-five Jordan Tebbutt and 6-foot-6 R.J. Currington are also familiar names to prep basketball junkies.

The Warriors, who defeated Science Hill 82-47 on Dec. 12 in Johnson City, Tenn., have survived three close calls. OHA posted a 68-67 victory over W.J. Keenan in South Carolina at a December tournament, and recorded a 69-66 win over Memphis-Craigmont in the Penny Hardaway HoopFest in Memphis. Oak Hill won its first 14 games by an average margin of 39.4 points.

Smith has crafted five unbeaten seasons during his 27-year run on the OHA campus in rural Mouth of Wilson, Va.

“It’s not easy to go unbeaten with the national schedule but I thought we had a good chance after we won a couple of holiday tournaments,” Smith said.

The smooth AA coach said he hasn’t seen West Oak play, but is aware of their stars and understands their motivation.

“West Oaks is supposed to be very strong in the backcourt, so this should a good game for the fans,” Smith said. “We always have a target on our back, but that target is huge now that we’re ranked number one in the nation.”

After crisscrossing the country for high-profile matchups and often starting down rabid hometown crowds, Smith said his team enjoys the 70-mile journey down Interstate 81 to Bristol.

“We get invited to games all the time but our kids and students enjoy coming to Bristol,” Smith said. “After coming to Bristol for so many years, we have built up a regular fan base.”

Atkins is hoping to create national news tonight with an upset.

“This is a stepping-stone game for us,” said Atkins, a former assistant at Auburn, Belmont and West Florida. “I’ve seen several of the Oak Hill players in AAU and I think we matchup pretty even.

“We may not have any 7-footers but we might even be a little deeper.”

Atkins played at the University of West Florida, where he ranks third all-time in assists.

Oak Hill faces Arby’s Classic champion Christ School on Saturday night at the Salem Civic Center before traveling to defending Group A, Division 1 state champion Galax on Feb. 9.

Before the main event tonight at the Bearcat Den, VHS and John Battle meet in a doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m.

agregory@bristolnews.com | Twitter: @Greg_BHCSports | (276) 645-2544