TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS: BIG MAN CODY RILEY TALKS ABOUT UCLA COMMITMENT, TOFC ATMOSPHERE

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. —Sierra Canyon big man Cody Riley says few environments will prepare himself and his teammates for the college atmosphere like the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions.

This is the second straight year Riley and Sierra Canyon has competed at the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions. Last year he was apart of a team that fell on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in the championship game against Oak Hill in front of a packed house. The T of C is widely recognized as one of the nation’s premier high school tournaments with an atmosphere that is tough to match.

“It’s getting us prepared for next year and playing in the Pac 12, especially the way UCLA is doing,” Riley said. “We are all going to big D1s and I feel it’s a great look forward to the future for us.”

A UCLA recruit, the 6’9 Riley is bruising forward that can dominate the paint, but skilled enough to step away from the basket and make plays. He is one of three Sierra Canyon players who have already signed to play at the next level along with point guard Remy Martin (Arizona State) and Adam Seiko (San Diego State), while 2018 Marvin Bagley is the nation’s top ranked recruit in his class.

He says he tries to watch a host of players at the next level and take different elements from their games.

“I like (Carmelo Anthony) in the mid post and how he uses his body, how Andre Drummond rebounds the ball,” Riley said. “I’ve never watched anyone specifically, but I try to look at what a lot of guys do really well and use that in my game.”

Riley says competing on the AAU circuit has helped his game and said he spent much of the offseason working on his mid range and mid-post game in attempt to stretch his game away from the basket a little more.

“Most definitely facing up and getting to the basket and my free throws,” Riley said. “I know today I don’t shoot it well, but I also worked on my free throws and throughout the season I have shot it pretty well.”

Riley said he is looking forward to competing against the top teams and players as Sierra Canyon has put together a nationally recognized schedule.

“I always want to challenge myself against the best of the best,” he said. “My team is also like that … it’s just natural for us because we’re all competitors and want to do that.”

Riley narrowed a long list of offers to Kansas, USC and UCLA and said from there it was a tough decision.

“It just came down to my relationship that I had with Steve Alford and I trusted them and I trust that they will put me in the best position possible to allow me to do what I want to do in the future,” Riley said.

TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS: IKEY OBIAGU BRINGS BLOCK CITY TO T OF C

SPRINGFIELD — One of the nation’s premier shot blockers, Greenforest, Ga. 7’0 2017 Ikey Obiagu is a game changer at the defensive end and showcased those abilities at the 2017 Bass Pro Tournament of Champions this weekend.

Through the first two games, Obiagu had swatted 17 shots and appeared well on his way to setting a new tournament record for blocks, which was set in 1993 by St. Raymond’s Damon Bonaparte. He blocked 10 shots in the opening round against and added 10 points on five dunks.

He followed with seven blocks against Kickapoo in a consolation round win on Friday and led both teams with 11 rebounds and chipped in six points, on a pair of dunks. He says his game is still raw and his offensive game is a work in progress.

“Mostly my game is to block shots and rebound and that is what keeps me on the floor, and the other parts of my game I am still working on,” Obiagu said.

Obiagu says injuries throughout the summer taught him a lesson in life as he struggled to stay on the court.

“I just had to pick myself up,” he said. “I fell like I am more confident in my offense although I still have a lot of work to do. I am taking everything one step at a time but I see improve from last season to this season.”

He committed to Florida State on Nov. 28 and said at the time the competition in the ACC was a big factor. He is one of five commitments for the Seminoles in the 2017 class and the first ESPN 100 commitment for the Seminoles this class. He joins four-star forwards Raiquan Gray and Wyatt Wilkes, four-star wing Anthony Polite and three-star shooting guard Bryan Trimble Jr.

“The thing that stood out the most for me was coach (Leonard) Hamilton because me and him have been really close,” Obiagu said. “He has been the one that has been recruiting me the longest and I trust him and I know they do a really good job with their bigs.

“They have a really good team coming back next year. It’s not really far from my home and I have been to their campus more than any other. I just feel like I am comfortable there.”

For now, however, Obiagu and his teammates are focused on taking the consolation trophy at the Tournament of Champions and says he is grateful for the opportunity to play in the event.

“It is really great and I know not everybody has this opportunity,” he said. “I am really grateful, as it the whole team, to be in this type of high-level tournament because every day you are playing a great team.

“Every day you are competing at the highest level.”

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TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS: ROB YANDERS, PENNY HARDAWAY TOGETHER AT T OF C

SPRINGFIELD — Rob Yanders, the founder of the Basketball Movement and Yanders Law, says his goals mirror those of NBA legend Penny Hardaway, who he met following Hardaway’s Memphis East game on Thursday night at the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions.

Hardaway was a player before his time, a 6’7 point guard who teamed with Shaquille O’Neal on the Orlando Magic and was also part of a world renown marketing campaign by Nike that became known simply as “Little Penny.”

Hardway is a native of Memphis and played his college basketball at

Now 45, Hardaway has returned to his roots in Memphis, coaching one of the nation’s elite grassroots teams, Team Penny, and has taken over at Memphis East High School, coaching a squad that has played a national schedule and knocked off some of the nation’s best.

Yanders says he and Hardaway may come from different places, but are trying to accomplish some of the same things.

“We’re both former pros trying to give back and do something special for kids and raise the level of the game,” he said.

Memphis East is slated to play Montverde (Fla.) on Friday in a semifinal game for the third time this season. The two teams split the first two games. But those are just a handful of nationally ranked teams and players.

“The schedule has been unbelievable,” Hardaway said. “We have given our guys an opportunity to go out there and showcase their talent on a national level. It has definitely prepared us for our district and state tournament run.”

Hardaway said coaching at the high school level has been an entirely different experience as he deals with parents and young kids.

“It’s been challenging coaching at the high school level because you have to deal with the parents and the different mood swings of the kids,” he said. “And they don’t really respect what you have done in the past if you aren’t Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson. They just know I played a long long time ago so they don’t remember that.”

Penny has coached his son Jayden Hardaway this season after the 6’4 2017 guard moved from Miami, Fla. to Memphis in the offseason.

“It has been an amazing pleasure because I have been wanting him to come to Memphis for awhile because I want him to get used to the toughness of the city,” Penny Hardaway said. “I want him to get the opportunity to play at the next level in the basketball world because the south Miami conference he was in previously isn’t as tough as what we are playing this year. I’m glad his mother allowed to come this season.

“It just isn’t as physical. Memphis guys play a tough schedule and play against great guards every night and that’s what we wanted.”

The younger Hardaway went for 11 points and connected on three 3-pointers, going 3 for 4 from behind the arc in 20 minutes.

“It is really special,” Jayden Hardaway saidof his move to Memphis East. “It is a once in a lifetime chance and getting to go through this process of getting to learn and be coached by my dad especially. He is the best coach I have ever played for and I feel blessed to be able to play for him.”

Hardaway doesn’t currently hold any offers but has drawn interest from Memphis, Ole Miss and local schools.