O.J. Mayo shoots against Russia at the International Sports Invitational

June 10, 2005

By Jason Owens
CSTV.com

SAN DIEGO -- Ohio point guard O.J. Mayo is the most coveted recruit of the class of 2007. After his performance this week at the International Sports Invitational, it's easy to see why.

Mayo has arguably had the best performance of the tournament through his first two games. He's tallied 50 points, nine rebounds and six assists, while hitting on 6-of-8 behind the arc.

While he hasn't announced a list of favorite schools yet, the college team that wins him over will get an immediate boost. And if Mayo has any say in it, he won't be the only reason. North College Hill High teammate and friend Bill Walker may join him for the ride.

"We'll most likely be a package deal," Mayo said of Walker. "We talk about the same schools. We'll be together."

That's a scary prospect. While O.J. may be the man on his high school team, Walker wouldn't play second fiddle on many other squads. The 6-6 forward is the best athlete at the ISI and is ranked as high as the third best prospect in his class.

Both players are leaving their marks at the ISI, standing apart from many of the elite high school players gathered to play for USA Basketball at San Diego State this week.  But no player quite draws the buzz that Walker does.

In a nod to NBA great Dominique Wilkins, Mayo dubs Walker the human-highlight reel. And the moniker is well-earned. Walker threw down eight dunks in his first ISI game and continues to fly above the rest of the field.

While the knock on Walker is that he's one-dimensional and doesn't have much game outside of attacking the basket, it hasn't shown this week. In three games, he's averaging 17 points, 4.7 boards and  2.3 assists on 69.7 percent shooting.

While Mayo will only say that he's looking at Big East, ACC, Big 12 and Big 10 schools, Walker rattled off some schools of interest with a little prodding. He noted Cincinnati, West Virginia, Louisville, Texas, Wake Forest, North Carolina and UConn. But he made it clear that it was far from a final list.

If they do end up going to school together, their coach may be best suited to consult them before putting together an offensive scheme. The two have played with each other for several years and are very familiar each other on the court.

" We just have fun," said Mayo. "We've been playing with each other since the fourth or fifth grade. I'm used to seeing everything that you guys are seeing now."

Jason Owens is an editor for CSTV.com