The undefeated Huntington Highlanders, USA Today’s third-ranked high school basketball team in the nation, crushed Lexington Catholic, 97-64, on the University of Kentucky campus.

O.J. Mayo had 37 points and added 10 assists, including scoring 32 points in the final two quarters.

You know O.J. Mayo the phenom high flying basketball player. But do you know O.J. Mayo the student?

“I’m only an athlete part of the time, and I’m a student the other part of the time. I’m a competitor and I like to compete in both areas.” said Mayo, who won Sports Zone Student Athlete of the Week for Jan. 11.

Through his first 12 weeks at Huntington High, Mayo has maintained a 3.4 grade point average. Although many believe he will only stay one year in college and jump to the NBA, Mayo is keeping one eye open on his distant future.

“One day, when I have to put down a basketball, I’d like to go into business, I want to have a lot of my own businesses, go into real estate. It’s good to have a little head on your shoulders.”

You often hear so-called draft experts anoint a player to be everything from a perennial all-star, a 10 year player in the NBA, or even a bust waiting to happen. Rarely does a player get classified as a future superstar and legend. While it’s too early to tell, one thing is for sure: O.J Mayo will be the next great NBA star.

Following in the footsteps of LeBron James, O.J. Mayo has been making headlines since elementary school. He has dominated the competition and at times made it look like a man playing among boys. When asked what motivates him his answer is simple: “I have a goal to be a NBA Hall of Famer.” He has an incredible work ethic comparable to the likes of Kobe Bryant and Dwayne Wade - working on his game by arriving to the gym before the sun comes up and not coming back home until 10 or 11 at night.

Mayo is a 6-5 PG that can score at will. Guard him tight and he’ll go around you. Give him space and he’ll nail a 3-pointer in your face. Throw a double team his way and he’ll find the open man. When LeBron James and Dwight Howard came out of high school directly to the NBA, the one thing they had going for them is they already had a NBA ready body. O.J. Mayo not only has that now but he will have one year of college experience at the University of Southern California to hone and groom his already freak of nature skills.

Accustomed to be the number one ranked player in his class year after year, it was shocking to see him fall off the top spot this year to players like Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley, both talented players in their own right. But O.J. Mayo has something that Rose and Beasley don’t. The IT factor. Not only will he be the talk of Los Angeles when he goes to USC but he has already shown he can handle and deal with the spotlight.

A 10 year player in the league? Most definitely. A perennial all-star? Probably. A legend? Don’t bet against him… I know I won’t.

www.ojmayonnaise.com
A Pass the OJ, Hold the Mayo Commentary.

Huntington’s nationally ranked basketball team defeated host South Charleston 80-61 to remain undefeated for the season (11-0).

O.J. Mayo shook off a slow start and led the Highlanders with 28 points and seven rebounds. After only having six points in the first half, Mayo found his stroke in the second half, knocking down 9-of-12 shots, including all three of his dunks.

The Highlanders, ranked No. 3 by USA Today travel to the University of Kentucky this Saturday to meet Lexington Catholic. That game will televised live at 2 p.m. by WSAZ Channel 3.

Through 9 games this season, O.J Mayo is averaging 30.6 points and is leading Tri-State high school men’s basketball teams in scoring. The Huntington Highlanders also have Patrick Patterson (18.2) and Jamaal Williams (16.7), whom are 4th and 5th respectivley based on unofficial statistics on games reported to The Herald-Dispatch.

O.J. Mayo reverses the alley-oop from Mike Taylor during the Huntington Highlander vs DeMatha Catholic game. The play made ESPN’s Top 10 plays at #4

O.J. Mayo led Huntington (10-0) to a victory against DeMatha (9-2), 74-62, in front of a capacity crowd of more than 9,000 and a national television audience on ESPNU. Mayo led the Highlanders with 27 points. He played the majority of the second half with a bandage over his right eye after he hit the floor hard driving to the basket early in the third quarter. Patrick Patterson added 14 points, 16 rebounds and three blocked shots for Huntington.

ESPN Page 2 has an article on OJ Mayo and how USC’s new 140 million dollar Galen Center has helped in recruiting future stars like OJ:

Mayo said multiple factors went into his decision. He liked coach Tim Floyd’s NBA experience. He saw L.A. as a great place to market himself, following in the footsteps of Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart. But on an unofficial visit to USC’s campus during the recruitment phase, something else won him over.

“I took O.J. over to the Galen Center, before the building was even close to being finished,” said Carol Dougherty, USC’s senior associate athletic director. “You had to use your imagination. But he was just so excited. He said, ‘I want to see the floor I’m going to play on, my practice courts, my locker room.’

OJ Mayo sat the game out after straining his left hamstring Tuesday in a victory over Hurricane but the Highlanders still went on the beat Lincoln County, 106-45. The Huntington Highlanders (ranked No. 3 by the National Prep Poll) will take onDeMatha Catholic (ranked No. 4 ), at Cam Henderson Center. The game will be televised on ESPNU. Mayo said before the game that he was not playing Thursday as a precaution but would be ready to play on Saturday.

Which is the reverse of the No. 23 made famous by his idol LeBron James and Michael Jordan.

“When I was younger and playing point guard, I guess it was because of Magic Johnson. I’ve just kept it since then.”