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SF William Buford - 4 BTT Title Games, most Buckeye starts (Virtus Roma - Italy)

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CPD

Div. II Final Four Preview



Thursday, March 13, 2008

St. Paris Graham (26-0) vs. Toledo Libbey (23-2)
About Graham: Guard-forwards Josh Schuler (19.7 points per game) and Austin Jones (11.1 points), both 6-2, and 6-3 forward Ethan Ward (10.9) lead the Falcons. Ward and Schuler, respectively, have made 44 percent and 41 percent of their 3-point shots. Graham plays solid man-to-man defense, but often goes to a zone to try to negate its usual height disadvantage.
About Libbey: William Buford, a 6-5 senior guard and Ohio State recruit, excels in every aspect of the game and is a great shooter, averaging 22.6 points. Julius Wells (12 points, nine rebounds), a gifted 6-6 forward, and 6-3 guard-forward Brad Sandridge (11.3 points) are other key players.
 
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CPD
Div. II Spotlight: William Buford, Toledo Libbey



Thursday, March 13, 2008

Toledo Libbey basketball standout William Buford admits feeling gratified about all of his high school accomplishments.
But the 6-5 senior shooting guard and Ohio State recruit won't be completely satisfied until the Cowboys (23-2) win a state basketball title, a quest that begins today against fifth-ranked St. Paris Graham (26-0).
"Being state champions . . . it's all my teammates and me have talked about . . . all we've focused on since we were freshmen," said Buford, who was selected to play in the 32nd annual McDonald's All-American game in Milwaukee, Wis., on March 26, and the Jordan Brand Classic on April 19 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
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Loyalty and unselfishness best describe Buford, coach Leroy Bates said.
Case in point: Buford's shooting percentage improved this season even though his scoring average dipped from 28.4 points per game last year to 22.6 this year.
"He's a very quiet scorer, highly proficient," Bates said. "He does whatever it takes to get his teammates involved. Every player has matured because of William."
Buford joins former Ohio State and ex-NBA shooting forward Jim Jackson as only the second Toledo City League player (Toledo Macomber, 1989) selected to the McDonald's All-Star team.




Cont...
 
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Dispatch

Toledo Libbey's Buford took early lessons to heart

Thursday, March 13, 2008 3:27 AM
By Ken Gordon


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Back in the day, William Buford Sr. wouldn't let his son score. Now, he wishes he would score more often.
Buford Sr. -- known as "Big Will" -- would take the younger William with him to Hamilton Park, across the street from their inner-city Toledo home. Big Will did not believe in coddling the boy, despite the fact little Will was only 6 or 7 when the one-on-one sessions began.
"I would never ever let him win a game, until he could truly beat me," Big Will said. "I wouldn't let him score, either."
But the kid took his beatings and kept coming back for more. The two would play all day and well into the evenings.
"It made him hungry," Big Will said.

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Though scoring is not his first concern, winning is. His focus is leading Libbey to its first state championship, then turning his attention to making OSU better next season.
"I want to help win a national championship," he said.
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Congrats William

Link

Graham falls in D-II semifinal


By Kyle Nagel
Staff Writer

Thursday, March 13, 2008

COLUMBUS ? The historic Graham boys basketball season is over.
William Buford, the Toledo Libbey guard and Ohio's Mr. Basketball, scored 21 points and added 10 rebounds as Libbey took control early in the fourth quarter and topped Graham 51-44 this afternoon, March 13, in a Division II state semifinal at the Schottenstein Center. Libbey moves into Saturday's D-II final while Graham deals with its first loss of the season.


The Falcons trailed by just one entering the fourth quarter, but Libbey (24-2) then scored the first eight points of the quarter for a 37-28 lead with 4:46 left.
Finding their 3-point stoke, the Falcons canned two straight (from Josh Schuler and Ethan Ward) to cut the Libbey lead to 43-41 with 1:37 left. They couldn't get closer.
 
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ToledoBlade

Article published Thursday, March 13, 2008
Libbey advances to state final with 51-44 win

COLUMBUS ? Toledo Libbey High School advanced on Thursday to the finals of the Division II state boys basketball tournament with a 51-44 victory over previously unbeaten St. Paris Graham at Value City Arena.

William Buford, who on Wednesday was named the 2008 recipient of the Associated Press Mr. Basketball award, was 9-for-24 from the field, including misses on all four of his 3-pointers, scored 21 points. Lance Jones added 10 points for Libbey.

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CPD

Buford, Toledo Libbey advance to state championship game

3/13/2008, 1:04 p.m. EDT By RUSTY MILLER
The Associated Press


COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) ? Mr. Basketball William Buford had an off-day shooting but still scored 21 points Thursday to help Toledo Libbey hang on for a 51-44 win over St. Paris Graham in a Division II state semifinal.
The fourth-ranked Cowboys (24-2) advance to their first state championship appearance since blowing a huge lead in the fourth quarter of the 1966 title game, eventually losing to Dayton Chaminade, 55-52. That stunning failure has haunted the school ever since.
Buford, who on Wednesday was named the 2008 recipient of the Associated Press Mr. Basketball award, was 9-for-24 from the field, including misses on all four of his 3-pointers. He was only 3-of-7 at the line, but had 10 rebounds and three assists.

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Just got back from the game...Buford has an impressive stroke and creates nice seperation on his shots. He had a bit of an off day from what the Libbey fans said but I was still impressed. The game was actually pretty dull and there wasn't much scoring. Libbey is extremely athletic and play great defense, especially on the perimeter. Shuler, Graham's top gun, was completely cold today and couldn't get a bucket if his life depended on it. The rest of the team panicked, got sloppy, and turned the ball over constantly. Congrats to Libbey though and they deserved it. I am pretty excited about having Buford in Columbus next year.
 
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