AABC TOURNEY FINALS
Schuler's shooting is getting him noticed
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
FRANKLIN — After playing 50 games in 22 days, Josh Schuler was ready for a breather.
"I think I'm gonna go home and take a nap," the Graham High School senior-to-be said while walking out of the All-American Basketball Championship finals Monday, June 30, at Kingdom Sports Center.
Schuler and the 18-and-under Ohio Valley Force fell to the Pittsburgh Shockers, 66-51, to place second, but Schuler scored 20 points, mostly against Temple recruit Aaron Allen, including a 25-footer with a hand in his face.
"I'll pull those off sometimes," Schuler said, laughing.
That shooting ability, along with a 3.9 grade-point average, has gotten him noticed by Wright State University and others, including Syracuse, Yale and Columbia.
"Josh is a consistent 40 percent from beyond the arc," Force U18 coach Tony Lupia said of the 6-foot-3 guard. "He has exceptionally long arms, so he can shoot over people. He's a Division I player."
Schuler led Graham to the Division II state semifinals as a junior.
He averaged 19.3 points per game for the 26-1 Falcons, and was named second-team all-state.
He attended a "shootout" at Wright State recently, where the coaches assessed his game.
"I need to work on my footspeed, and get a quicker release," Schuler said. "But they liked my shooting and my knowledge of the game.
"This league helps with all the games we play. It gives me a chance to work on those weaknesses, and just keeps me in shape."
Schuler plays for the Graham summer team, along with the Force. It makes for a grueling schedule.
"I like to hang out with friends, and play ping-pong," he said. "But, for the most part, basketball is all I do."
Schuler took second place in stride Monday.
"We had a good tournament," he said. "(Pittsburgh was) trapping well and got easy shots. We beat them by six earlier this weekend. It just seemed like they wanted it more."
Contact this reporter at gsilverman@coxohio.com.




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