Early SWBL Southwestern Top 5
After spending the last few days previewing Dayton Divisions as a whole, now I will shift my focus to early conference previews. The goal here is to show you right now who the Top 4 teams are in the conference and the Top 5 players. Let’s look at the Southwestern Buckeye League Southwestern Division.
- Franklin– The Wildcats return 4 of 5 starters, including 2 that were 1st Team all-SWBL last season. Brian Bales and his squad will move to Division I come tournament time, but until then, Franklin looks to be the most dominant team in the league come November.
- Oakwood– If there’s one team that can challenge Franklin in the SWBL, it’s the Lumberjacks. With 5 of their top 6 scorers from last year returning, Oakwood has plenty of weapons to take on the Wildcats. Franklin’s only loss in league play last year was to Oakwood, who is a team on the rise.
- Bellbrook– I really like this Golden Eagles team. They play physical defense and don’t stop playing, even if they are down big. 4 starters return from last year and after a year of rebuilding, they look to start moving in a direction of dethroning Franklin as the top team in the SWBL.
- Monroe– The Hornets were a tale of two teams a year ago. They found ways to beat some talented programs throughout the season, but also lost to a few programs that they should have defeated. They return one of the top players in the entire league as well as 3 other starters with him for this season. They will definitely compete with Bellbrook for the #3 spot throughout the season.
Top 5 Players
Tristan Backas (Monroe)- Do it all player that dominates on both ends of the floor.
Donnie Crouch (Bellbrook)- Two way guard does a little bit of everything and excels at it.
Payton Knott (Franklin)- Talented PG that sees the floor well and has a nice 3PT shot.
Ryan Montgomery (Franklin)- Great defender who can also score in the paint well.
Andy Neff (Oakwood)- Tremendous finisher in the paint; one of the best bigs in the league.