Like winning in Vegas there were times this basketball season when Warren guard Austin Cunningham made unexpected plays that left the crowd stunned.
No-look passes and clutch three-pointers were the norm for Cunningham, who will be taking his game under the neon lights this summer.
Cunningham's play at the East Ohio Team Camp earned the Warrior junior a chance to compete in the Reebok Summer Tournament in Las Vegas July 22 to 25.
"I haven't really got a chance to play real far away before. It really hasn't set in yet, but I'm real excited about it," Cunningham said.
The East Ohio Team Camp is a summer basketball tournament for varsity and JV teams operated by Larry Huggins in Sherrodsville.
There are three sessions of the camp with the Warriors competing in the session which ran from Sunday to Tuesday this week.
Another session began Wednesday and concludes Friday while the final session will run Monday to Wednesday next week.
During the camp an all-star game is played with the top three players in the all-star game as selected by coaches from each session receiving the opportunity to represent Ohio at the Reebok tournament in Las Vegas.
"He had an outstanding camp and I'm excited for him," said Warren boys' basketball coach Blane Maddox.
Being selected as one of the top three in this past weekend's camp session was a welcome surprise for the entire Cunningham family.
"We had a tournament game starting and coach Maddox told me to go see my dad. He handed me the phone. My mom was just screaming so I kind of figured it was good news. I asked her why she was screaming and she told me I was going to Vegas," Cunningham said.
East Ohio Team Camp will pick up the bill for Cunningham's trip to Vegas where he will be on a team with some of Ohio's best talent, including Oak Hill's Kyle Ondera from the Oaks' state champion team this past season.
"He'll get to play with some of the best players around," Maddox said.
Cunningham and his fellow Ohio players will practice prior to their Vegas trip in Columbus to prepare for the Reebok tourney.
Once they arrive in Las Vegas the young basketball stars will be staying at the Excalibur Hotel, located on the Strip in Vegas.
At the East Ohio Camp the Warren boys' varsity squad finished as the runner up, beating Liberty Benton and Ohio State bound Aaron Kraft before bowing out.
The Warren JV squad won the tournament.
The Warriors played well during their camp run and Cunningham's play was a big reason, though he quickly pointed to the play of teammates such as Grant Venham, another top-10 camp player, Jace Knost, Brandon Fivecoait and Clay Ellenwood among others as the reason for his success.
"I had other teammates helping me out," Cunningham said. "I give them credit, too."
With over 20 varsity teams competing in the East Ohio Team Camp the Warrior guard said he is honored to have been selected as one of the camp's top three players.
Now he will make his first airplane trip to a popular vacation destination for a few games of basketball.
Cunningham is hoping the Ohio team makes some noise against the competition and is looking forward to the opportunity it presents for prospective college looks as well as a good time with his family. "We're going to have a good time," Cunningham said. "I'm just real excited about it."
