Enquirer / December 14, 2018
Cincinnati native Rayvon Griffith is one of the nation’s top basketball players in the clas of 2023. John Snodgrass, jsnodgrass@enquirer.com
Basketball has always been a draw at Oyler School in Lower Price Hill but recently the interest in Madhatters games has grown. And it isn’t the varsity team that’s driving all the attention
The kid O’Brien is referring to is Rayvon Griffith, a 6-foot-4, 14-year-old eighth-grader that became one of the breakout stars on his AAU basketball circuit this past summer playing alongside, arguably, the most famous eighth-grade athlete in the country – LeBron James Jr., the son of four-time NBA MVP and current Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.
Griffith has played the last two summers with the North Coast Blue Chips, an AAU team that features some of the most promising basketball players in the class of 2023. But it was this past summer when Griffith really took off. Playing in gyms all around the country and in front of current NBA stars and coaches the Blue Chips were a dominant force on the hardwood. And while crowds came to see James Jr. and his famous dad, it was Griffith that many scouts left impressed with.
Being able to play any position, Griffith looks just as comfortable bringing the ball up the court as he does banging bodies in the paint. He can knock down a 3-pointer on one possession and drive to the hoop for a dunk on the next. It’s that versatility that made him stand out while playing against some of the best competition in his age group and it’s why severalscoutingsites rank him a top-10 player in his class nationally and the top player in Ohio’s ’23 class.
His diverse game comes from growing up in Oyler’s system.
“He does everything I need him to do,” Oyler junior high coach Steve Stanley said. “If I need him to go to the big man, he’ll go to the big man. If I need him to post up, he’ll post up. If I need him to be a point guard, he’ll bring the ball up. He does everything. I don’t just assign him to one. He does everything.”…
Griffith has spent most of his life in Lower Price Hill and nearly all of that time he’s been going to Oyler. The small K-12 public school on Hatmaker Street has fewer than 800 students total. The school’s lone gym maxes out around 220 people. On game nights, it’s not unusual for the school to have to turn away fans at the door because they’ve reached capacity. This season, the issue has become more pronounced, especially with junior high games…
The school’s connection to the community runs deep. As a community school, the bonds are made early and run deeper than basketball.
“Oyler has always been the school that I wanted to go to,” Griffith said. “I’ve gone here as I’ve grown up. It’s home. You can’t leave home. We’re building something around me, playing with the Blue Chips has been a good experience, seeing there are other players a lot better than me; I know I’ve got to keep working.”
Griffith and his current teammates have been playing with each other since the first and second grade and the current attention Griffith’s game has generated has resulted in more exposure for the school’s program. It has helped his teammates receive offers to join other AAU teams and garnered more interest in varsity games. It has been a positive for the school as a whole but it has not changed Griffith’s status inside its halls…
Griffith comes from a large family, he has eight siblings. His two older brothers help him with his game on the weekends. An older sister is on Oyler’s varsity basketball team and is set to graduate this coming spring. This past fall Griffith stepped out of his comfort zone on the hardwood and ran on Oyler’s first-ever junior high cross country team. In his first race he placed eighth overall. Between his family and the school, he stays busy and focused…
It’s a collaborative effort in the neighborhood. From the school to the community to students’ homes, building a supportive foundation takes effort.
On the court this season, Oyler is 8-0. Griffith is averaging over 30 points per game and more than seven rebounds. The Madhatters were league co-champions last season. Griffith and his teammates are looking to win the title outright this year.